The ultimate Christmas gift: 6-month-old hears mom and dad for the first time
By lgallagher |
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On December 10, 2018, Francesca Jones had her cochlear implants activated, often referred to as being ‘turned-on’, allowing her to truly hear for the first time. The moment the first implant was activated, it was apparent she could hear her parents talking to her. Her mother, Julia Tirabasso, said “Ciao Francesca!” and Francesca looked right into her eyes and smiled. About The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is recognized as one of the world’s foremost paediatric health-care institutions and is Canada’s leading centre dedicated to advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and education. Founded in 1875 and affiliated with the University of Toronto, SickKids is one of Canada’s most research-intensive hospitals and has generated discoveries that have helped children globally. Its mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized family-centred care; pioneer scientific and clinical advancements; share expertise; foster an academic environment that nurtures health-care professionals; and champion an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. SickKids is a founding member of Kids Health Alliance, a network of partners working to create a high quality, consistent and coordinated approach to pediatric health care that is centred around children, youth and their families. SickKids is proud of its vision for Healthier Children. A Better World. About CHEODedicated to the best life for every child and youth, CHEO is a global leader in pediatric health care and research. Based in Ottawa, CHEO includes a hospital, children’s treatment centre, school and research institute, with satellite services located throughout Eastern Ontario. CHEO provides excellence in complex pediatric care, research and education. We are committed to partnering with families and the community to provide exceptional care — where, when and how it’s needed. CHEO is a founding member of Kids Health Alliance, a network of partners working to create a high quality, standardized and coordinated approach to pediatric health care that is centred around children, youth and their families. Every year, CHEO helps more than 500,000 children and youth from Eastern Ontario, western Quebec, Nunavut and Northern Ontario. About NSONewborn Screening Ontario (NSO) has tested nearly 2 million newborns for rare diseases that are treatable. Since NSO started at CHEO in 2006, over 3,000 babies with these diseases have been diagnosed through newborn screening. NSO is the most comprehensive newborn screening program in Canada, and is one of the largest and most modern programs in the world. NSO is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. About IHPFunded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, the Infant Hearing Program identifies children born with permanent hearing loss across Ontario and provides audiology assessment and intervention services to help these children develop language and literacy skills. Ontario is one of two provinces that have an EHDI (Early Hearing Detection and Intervention) program in Canada and its evidence-based program protocols for screening and assessment have been adopted by jurisdictions worldwide. Last year, more than 125,000 newborns received a hearing screen through the Infant Hearing Program. Media contacts:Vanessa Blanchard |