Two-year-old to have hearing restored
Come 22 July, two-year-old Payton Peters will undergo life-changing surgery that will restore her hearing.
Payton, who lives in Linksfield with her family, will have cochlear implants in her ears so she will be able to hear again.
She lost her hearing after suffering a respiratory infection in May 2013. According to her mother, Michelle van Zyl, because her little girl had reached all her milestones on time and developed as she should, no one thought there was anything wrong with her.
She said, “At eight months she started crawling, by the time she was 11 months old she was walking by herself. She started speaking a few words just after her first birthday in February 2013.”
Van Zyl told the North Eastern Tribune that when her daughter stopped speaking in June 2013, she and her husband knew something was not right. “We noticed that she’d stopped speaking her few words and no longer responded to us when we called her.
“She went for two checkups in July and August at a paediatrician, where we were told that if she didn’t start speaking by the time she was two, we should then take her to an ear, nose and throat specialist.”
She said a week before her specialist appointment, her daughter had such a bad ear infection that her left eardrum burst.
“At the appointment we were told that Payton had very bad glue ear and would need grommets to help drain her ears, and that this was probably the reason she couldn’t hear,” said Van Zyl.
She said it was only in February last year that an audiologist diagnosed her daughter with severe bilateral hearing loss. “We were heartbroken,” she said.
After hearing aids failed to work, the next option was for Payton to get cochlear implants. “These will come at a cost of about R750 000 and our medical aid will not be covering any of the procedures,” Van Zyl said.
Payton’s family launched a number of fundraising projects to help them pay for the surgery. These include a golf day, a raffle, and a high tea which will take place on 5 July.
Van Zyl appealed to the community to come on board and
help her little girl. “Any way people can help is appreciated. Either by sponsoring raffle prizes or donating money,” she said.
Details: 011 613 5363, info@helppaytonhear.co.za
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