HearAid Foundation, a non-profit organization, has helped twin girls, to hear their parent’s voice for the first time.
The six-month-old twins, Kayla and Kiara Hernandez, three weeks premature babies were born on Feb 20. They both failed their newborn hearing tests. This is due to fluid remaining in the girls’ ears from the birth. But after more intensive testing, the twins were diagnosed with mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears.
“It was so stressful when we heard about it,” Gemila, recalled.
“I remember one day I was walking, I heard the birds chirping,” Gemila said, recalling thinking her little girls could not hear it.
Their parents Gemila and Raul Hernandez worried about what that would mean for the girls as they grew, since they couldn’t afford the $10,000 for the hearing aids that would likely cost, and which weren’t going to be covered by their insurance provider.
In the mountain of hospital paperwork, Gemila found a HearAid Foundation brochure, which she suspects was placed in her packet by the audiologist who tested the girls. She contacted HearAid Foundation in hopes of finding help for Kayla and Kiara. HearAid has provided the new hearing aids for both girls.
The hearing aids were fitted by Dr. Cheryl Tanita, chief of audiology at Shohet Ear Associates in Seal Beach, California.
“Most people don’t realize that a mild to moderate hearing loss could severely affect their speech and language development,” said Cheryl Tanita.
The girls got a purple and pink hearing aids which is placed behind their ears. As reported, they both quietly looked around the Seal Beach office of Shohet Ear Associates when they were able to hear for the first time.
“Now I know that they will be able to hear all those sounds,” Gemila Hernandez said.
Gemila told, ‘And now, it’s like before, I told them, a million times how much I love them. I’m going to say it so much more now, you know?’
Gemila and Raul were emotional as the girls’ hearing aids were turned on.
