Guoyiyang, a three-year old twin boy who has Bilateral Microtia and Atesia in China, received a Ponto Pro this month. Since birth, Guoyiyang has not been able to hear well, and for the first time ever, he has the opportunity to use a sound processor.
Until now, Guoyiyang has only responded to very loud sounds. He had only said “baba” and “mama”. Because Guoyiyang’s family does not have healthcare coverage, they were unable to afford a hearing device. Guoyiyang’s father, Mr. Guotao, found Ear Community online and inquired about help for his son. Now, with his new Ponto Pro, Guoyiyang instantly responds to soft whispers and the other sounds around him.
Melissa Tumblin, founder of Ear Community, and Alan Raffauf, VP of marketing for Oticon Medical US, connected with a local business colleague, Martin Moller, a business director for Oticon China. Martin was able to obtain help from Scott Sun, also of Oticon China, where Scott helped translate and communicate with the family and Guoyiyang’s doctor, Dr. Qin Zhaobing.
“In addition to everyone coming together in China and the United States to help Yiyang, it was a joyous day for everyone. Even Dr. Qin’s ENT team enjoyed not only getting to help little Yiyang, but they also were given the opportunity to learn more about bone conduction hearing devices and the chance to try a device on,” Melissa Tumblin said.
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