Miss-Delectable
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A BABY boy who was born profoundly deaf after his mother had one of the most common viral illnesses during pregnancy is set to get bionic ears.
A BABY boy who was born profoundly deaf after his mother had one of the most common viral illnesses during pregnancy is set to get bionic ears.
Calum Tomlinson is on the waiting list for surgery at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre to fit him with implants deep inside his ear which could help him talk like a hearing child.
Mum Gaye did not realise she had been ill during pregnancy because she had no symptoms of the virus, which is so common it infects about half of all adults in the UK.
NHS Choices says cytomegalo virus, also known as CMV, is one of the most common viral infections but most people have no symptoms and so are unaware of it.
At present, 11-month-old Calum is coping with his disability by learning sign language and can already communicate around 20 words including "mummy", "food" and "train".
Gaye was told a fortnight ago that Calum would be given surgery within six to eight weeks.
The 33-year-old, of Greenacre Avenue, Heanor, said: "The idea is that he will understand speech but it will require a lot of therapy, which we are getting every two weeks in Oxford."
Tracey Twomey, head of service for the Nottingham Cochlear Implant Programme, said the technology was "quite miraculous, really".
She said: "I think it's life-changing. Some 20 years ago, profoundly deaf children were given the most powerful hearing aids, which were little more than an aid to lip-reading.
"Deaf children can still use sign language but for those who have the implants early enough in life, they can use the electrical signal to give enough sensation to be able to pick up speech and learn to talk."
It is estimated that between one and four babies in every 200 are born with CMV and, of those, a tenth have symptoms.
Gaye said: "I didn't feel poorly during pregnancy, I didn't know anything was wrong."
For the first few weeks of Calum's life, Gaye believed he was a healthy baby.
She said: "When he was in his cot and I walked around he woke up so I didn't think that he couldn't hear me. I realise now he would have felt the vibrations."
After four weeks, tests at Derbyshire Children's Hospital revealed he was deaf.
Gaye said: "I held Calum in my arms during the test and, after 80 minutes of testing, the doctor told us Calum was severely to profoundly deaf. It was a big shock."
Calum's uncles, Mark Lomas and Simon Tomlinson, and family friend Richard Irwin, are taking on the Three Peaks Challenge on June 25.
They are raising money for the CMV Support Group and for Calum to have three years of hearing therapy totalling £13,500.
To donate, visit www. calum-reece.co.uk.
A BABY boy who was born profoundly deaf after his mother had one of the most common viral illnesses during pregnancy is set to get bionic ears.
Calum Tomlinson is on the waiting list for surgery at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre to fit him with implants deep inside his ear which could help him talk like a hearing child.
Mum Gaye did not realise she had been ill during pregnancy because she had no symptoms of the virus, which is so common it infects about half of all adults in the UK.
NHS Choices says cytomegalo virus, also known as CMV, is one of the most common viral infections but most people have no symptoms and so are unaware of it.
At present, 11-month-old Calum is coping with his disability by learning sign language and can already communicate around 20 words including "mummy", "food" and "train".
Gaye was told a fortnight ago that Calum would be given surgery within six to eight weeks.
The 33-year-old, of Greenacre Avenue, Heanor, said: "The idea is that he will understand speech but it will require a lot of therapy, which we are getting every two weeks in Oxford."
Tracey Twomey, head of service for the Nottingham Cochlear Implant Programme, said the technology was "quite miraculous, really".
She said: "I think it's life-changing. Some 20 years ago, profoundly deaf children were given the most powerful hearing aids, which were little more than an aid to lip-reading.
"Deaf children can still use sign language but for those who have the implants early enough in life, they can use the electrical signal to give enough sensation to be able to pick up speech and learn to talk."
It is estimated that between one and four babies in every 200 are born with CMV and, of those, a tenth have symptoms.
Gaye said: "I didn't feel poorly during pregnancy, I didn't know anything was wrong."
For the first few weeks of Calum's life, Gaye believed he was a healthy baby.
She said: "When he was in his cot and I walked around he woke up so I didn't think that he couldn't hear me. I realise now he would have felt the vibrations."
After four weeks, tests at Derbyshire Children's Hospital revealed he was deaf.
Gaye said: "I held Calum in my arms during the test and, after 80 minutes of testing, the doctor told us Calum was severely to profoundly deaf. It was a big shock."
Calum's uncles, Mark Lomas and Simon Tomlinson, and family friend Richard Irwin, are taking on the Three Peaks Challenge on June 25.
They are raising money for the CMV Support Group and for Calum to have three years of hearing therapy totalling £13,500.
To donate, visit www. calum-reece.co.uk.
