Pinar del Río, Cuba.-  Armanda Diamela Arce Morejón was registered, almost two years ago, in the history of Cuban children benefited from a cochlea implant surgery thanks to the development of the health program aimed at recovering the hearing in deaf patients.

She was the patient number 177 in receiving the benefit of the aforementioned surgical technique which guarantees a better life for her at present.

The girl was suffering from a hearing disability that prevented her from listening and talking, and after her initial diagnosis, she had the cochlea implant surgery in February 3rd, 2010, and after a month, she began to listen to the first sounds. Máricel Morejón, her mother, recalled.

“We realized that our girl was not listening to certain sounds and that made us to think that she had any hearing disability. Then we took her to diverse consultations in which she was diagnosed as having an acute hearing problem.”

She had not received any kind of sonorous stimulation before from digital prosthesis that are devices that enable many children suffering from hearing disability to react to some sonorous stimuli. However, that fact was not fruitful to her due to the existence of a congenital malformation within her inner ear.” Máricel Morejón said.

Amanda, aged four, was operated by a multidisciplinary team led by surgeon Ulises Rodríguez Morales.

“The surgery was successful, but that first stage was difficult because she began to receive unknown sounds and stimuli from the environment and that can cause fear and anxiety, however, we received the support from specialists during that process.” Máricel Morejón added.

Nowadays, Amanda is six years of age, studies in the first grade at the Isidro de Armas nursery School in Pinar del Río province and her parents named Mario Arce and Maricel Morejón feel visibly proud of their daughter’s progresses.
“Her learning process is taking place properly, although she has had some difficulties in math that we expect she could be able to surpass gradually. “

She has not a previous hearing memory that allows her to memorize the math´s calculations properly, however, she has been improving those details, and in the case of literature and writing, she is making headway given that Amanda says sentences, phrases and read.” Máricel Morejón pointed out.

It is really comforting for Maricel to see the positive way Amanda interacts with her classmates, which shows a proper emotional development, given that she manages to understand and participating in cultural activities. She looks like a really happy girl.

After the successful cochlea implant surgery, there have been many satisfactions for Amanda´s mother like the fact that her daughter understands the meaning of the word mother which she uses to call her at night when she wakes up and needs from her or simply when she does not see her around.

The cochlea implant surgery was first introduced in Cuba in late 90s and it is a very expensive technique given that each clinical surgery with all the necessary accessories usually costs thousand dollars overseas. However, the aforementioned humanitarian surgery is carried out completely free on the island.

There have been thousand of people benefited from this type of surgery. However, the number 177 will always have a very special meaning for Amanda´s parents. By Alina Cabrera