Thirteen-year-old Alina is an outgoing, happy girl who lives with her parents near our Ternopil site in Ukraine. When she was very little, Alina was diagnosed with double-sided deafness. She’s unable to hear any sounds on her own, and must use sign language to communicate with her friends and family.
With the help of hearing aids, Alina is able to hear some faint sounds, which helps keep her safe and alert in public. Despite her disability, Alina is an accomplished student, and a talented swimmer. She’s earned many awards in her endeavors!
Every year, Alina’s parents take her for a hearing checkup at the local hospital. After her last examination, doctors recommended that she wear a better quality hearing aid that will allow her to hear high definition sounds. Her last hearing aid was purchased over six years ago, making the technology obsolete.
Unfortunately, the new hearing aids would cost thousands of dollars, a price that was completely inaccessible for her family. Alina’s father is unable to find a permanent job, and her mother only earns $173 CAD a month as a teacher’s assistant at a day care center.
When our sponsor site learned about Alina’s difficulties, they applied for funding for her new hearing aids. Thanks to an outpouring of love and generosity of our donors, enough money was raised to provide Alina with a brand new set of hearing aids. “When Alina learned the news, she got very excited!” shared Luba, our Ternopil site director.
The new hearing aids have made huge difference in Alina’s life. Now, she’s able to hear much clearer sounds. At school, Alina has advanced to pronouncing deaf consonants, and her teachers praise her. At home, her mother is now able to leave Alina alone for short periods of time, and she is able to hear the door bell or other noises in an emergency. She’s also able to hear when her name is called from a neighboring room. She has started to sing to music playing at much lower volumes, she can watch TV programs and hear voices instead of reading subtitles, and can hear the traffic and react accordingly while crossing the street. She has become much more confident, as the world has become more harmonious to her!
“The support for Alina cannot be overestimated, because only people with similar challenges know what it is like. Alina’s family is very grateful for the support, as her issue has been solved,” Haylyna expresses. “We are happy for Alina, and appreciate the possibility to serve our people with support and make a difference for them!”
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