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Broward Times - Family must sell home to fund implant for deaf daughter
Denied insurance coverage for their deaf daughter, a Hollywood couple is selling their home either to qualify for coverage or to get the cash needed for a surgical implant to help their little girl enjoy the world of hearing.
Thanks to the Alliance for Families with Deaf Children, 2-year-old Erika Ramotar, her two sisters, and her parents have all been learning American Sign Language.
“We feel like we can talk to Erika now, she understands us,” said Erika’s mother, Shaida Ramotar, who reads to Erika every night now.
Despite the progress over the past six months, Erika could be hearing some sounds and developing speech skills with a cochlear implant, which converts speech and environmental sounds into electrical signals. The device sends these signals to the hearing nerve.
Cochlear implants allow individuals who are profoundly hearing impaired to receive sound.
Although the family, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has medical coverage through the father’s employer, coverage was denied for Erika because of her pre-existing condition. Social Security said no. The family doesn’t qualify for state-sponsored Medicaid or KidCare assistance, either.
Shaida Ramotar says a Medicaid representative suggested selling her house to become eligible. The couple listed their home about a month ago. The house is listed for $500,000, and the couple hopes to net $75,000 cash from the sale.
But the market is so slow that it could be a long time before the house is sold, the family says, and Erika needs the device as soon as possible.
“I just want Erika to learn to hear and to speak and to have the privileges that we all have,” Shaida Ramotar said.
Meanwhile, AFDC, which serves over 350 South Florida families, is asking the public for donations to help buy the badly needed cochlear implant for Erika. The device and the surgery to install it range from $40,000 to $100,000, not including follow-up therapy.
“This is a sad day for the American dream of home ownership when a family must put their home up for sale in order to receive a badly needed medical treatment for their little girl,” AFDC Executive Director Jennifer Jones said. “Without the implant, Erika will never hear her mother’s voice, let alone develop a normal speech pattern. We are also investigating whether the insurance denial may be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
Jones is urging kind-hearted individuals and companies to make checks payable to AFDC with a note that says, “for Erika” on the bottom left of the check.
Send donations to the Alliance for Families with Deaf Children, Erika’s Fund, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Suite 105, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.
Donations are tax deductible.
Founded in 2001, AFDC is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that helps families with deaf children overcome barriers to successful communication. The organization also helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children achieve their highest levels of academic, social and personal success.
On average, fewer than 10 percent of hearing parents are able to use sign language to communicate with their deaf child, and only 1 percent of families who come to AFDC can communicate with their children through American Sign Language.
AFDC’s mission is to see deaf and hard of hearing children succeed through providing families with resources, services, and support.
The organization relies entirely on grants and donations to provide these badly needed services to South Florida families.
To donate or for more information, please call AFDC at 954-370-1145 or visit AFDC: Alliance for Families with Deaf Children.
Denied insurance coverage for their deaf daughter, a Hollywood couple is selling their home either to qualify for coverage or to get the cash needed for a surgical implant to help their little girl enjoy the world of hearing.
Thanks to the Alliance for Families with Deaf Children, 2-year-old Erika Ramotar, her two sisters, and her parents have all been learning American Sign Language.
“We feel like we can talk to Erika now, she understands us,” said Erika’s mother, Shaida Ramotar, who reads to Erika every night now.
Despite the progress over the past six months, Erika could be hearing some sounds and developing speech skills with a cochlear implant, which converts speech and environmental sounds into electrical signals. The device sends these signals to the hearing nerve.
Cochlear implants allow individuals who are profoundly hearing impaired to receive sound.
Although the family, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has medical coverage through the father’s employer, coverage was denied for Erika because of her pre-existing condition. Social Security said no. The family doesn’t qualify for state-sponsored Medicaid or KidCare assistance, either.
Shaida Ramotar says a Medicaid representative suggested selling her house to become eligible. The couple listed their home about a month ago. The house is listed for $500,000, and the couple hopes to net $75,000 cash from the sale.
But the market is so slow that it could be a long time before the house is sold, the family says, and Erika needs the device as soon as possible.
“I just want Erika to learn to hear and to speak and to have the privileges that we all have,” Shaida Ramotar said.
Meanwhile, AFDC, which serves over 350 South Florida families, is asking the public for donations to help buy the badly needed cochlear implant for Erika. The device and the surgery to install it range from $40,000 to $100,000, not including follow-up therapy.
“This is a sad day for the American dream of home ownership when a family must put their home up for sale in order to receive a badly needed medical treatment for their little girl,” AFDC Executive Director Jennifer Jones said. “Without the implant, Erika will never hear her mother’s voice, let alone develop a normal speech pattern. We are also investigating whether the insurance denial may be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
Jones is urging kind-hearted individuals and companies to make checks payable to AFDC with a note that says, “for Erika” on the bottom left of the check.
Send donations to the Alliance for Families with Deaf Children, Erika’s Fund, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Suite 105, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.
Donations are tax deductible.
Founded in 2001, AFDC is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that helps families with deaf children overcome barriers to successful communication. The organization also helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children achieve their highest levels of academic, social and personal success.
On average, fewer than 10 percent of hearing parents are able to use sign language to communicate with their deaf child, and only 1 percent of families who come to AFDC can communicate with their children through American Sign Language.
AFDC’s mission is to see deaf and hard of hearing children succeed through providing families with resources, services, and support.
The organization relies entirely on grants and donations to provide these badly needed services to South Florida families.
To donate or for more information, please call AFDC at 954-370-1145 or visit AFDC: Alliance for Families with Deaf Children.
