947 Bidvest Hear for Life Trust helps Byron to hear again
At the end of the operation, a few tests were conducted and the expectations are that Byron will have normal hearing.
THE 947 Bidvest Hear for Life Trust helped two-year-old Byron Nienaber with a cochlear operation at Netcare Union Hospital on Tuesday, April 18.
Byron’s hearing loss was caused by meningitis when he was just three months old and Byron is currently a foster child, with no access to funding to finance the cochlear implant he desperately needs. The Hear for Life Trust was approached and a cochlear implant was approved for Byron.
Byron is the 62nd hearing-impaired recipient that they have helped. The operation took place at the Netcare Union Hospital in Alberton and was performed by Dr Duane Mol, one of the most sought after ear, nose and throat surgeons in the country. “He’s so busy because he’s so good,” said Darren Simpson, 947’s Xpress Drive Show host.
When asked about Byron’s operation, Mol described the boy as a special kid. Mol explained that Byron might have been born deaf but it’s difficult to be sure. He is currently in the care of foster parents.
According to Mol, at the end of the operation a few tests were conducted and the expectations are that Byron will have normal hearing.
The Netcare Union Hospital in Alberton, through the Netcare Foundation, sponsored all the hospital and theatre costs, and Mol, the surgeon, did the surgery free of charge.
The 947 Bidvest Hear for Life Trust funds a number of these life-changing operations annually. Proceeds from the sales of Whackhead’s annual prank CDs also go towards the Hear for Life Trust. Bidvest contributes millions of Rands to the Trust and this, along with Darren’s prank CDs, helps to make these cochlear operations happen. The Netcare Foundation covers the costs of the hospitalisation, theatre costs and medication.
If you know of anyone who is need of a cochlear implant please visit www.hearforlife.co.za and you can find out more about the 947 Bidvest Hear for Life Trust.
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