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One-year-old Cartia loves to sing nursery rhymes, read books and even try to turn the pages herself! She loves bath time with her siblings and cries when it’s time to get out.
Cartia is a very visual person and is happy to observe and watch the world around her. She shows plenty of different facial expressions and always has a smile on her face.
Just after birth, Cartia was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus (CMV), closely followed by a diagnosis of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in her left ear.
“Cartia failed her newborn hearing screening twice, and then had an audiology hearing test (Auditory Brainstem Response) to confirm the diagnosis,” said Jade, Cartia’s mum.
“We were devastated at first however also very grateful at the same time that Cartia could still hear our voices with her right ear. So far, she can still hear perfectly out of her right ear, so we are happy,” she said.
“Cartia was then fitted with a pretty pink hearing aid at six months old while she awaited surgery for a cochlear implant.”
Jade and Erik were familiar with Hear and Say through a friend, and thought the organisation would be a good fit for their family.
“We were already familiar with Hear and Say as we had a friend whose son is also deaf, and attends the organisation. We did our research around where the best place for Cartia would be, with therapy and for her cochlear journey, and found that Hear and Say was the best option for our family,” said Jade.
“Cartia does fortnightly speech therapy, all of her audiology appointments at Hear and Say and also many appointments pre and post cochlear implant surgery,” she said.
“It has opened up the door to a whole new world of hearing. From all of the new listening and language skills we have learnt through lessons that we then teach Cartia at home, to the other parents I have connected with who are going through the exact same thing,” she said.
“It’s been a long journey with many appointments and therapy sessions, but Cartia has come a long way, and is reaching her listening and language goals, so we are very happy.”
Cartia underwent surgery for a cochlear implant at 13 months old with her switch-on at Hear and Say’s Ashgrove centre two weeks later.
“Leading up to Cartia’s switch-on day, we didn’t know what to expect,” said Jade.
“We were so nervous yet excited for Cartia’s journey and all the new sounds that she would have access to.”
The Hear to Learn program delivers vital hearing screening to kindergartens and primary schools across Queensland to ensure students are hearing optimally and getting the most out of their education, now and in the future.
What is otherwise a simple five-minute hearing screen could change a child’s learning journey and help them to reach their full potential.
While the State Government’s Universal Newborn Hearing Screening plays a critical role in identifying hearing loss at birth, hearing loss can occur at any time. In fact, the number of children with hearing loss doubles by the time they reach school age.
Classrooms are noisy environments and if a student is experiencing difficulties with their hearing, it can have a significant impact on their ability to learn. By identifying hearing loss in students, it can reduce the chance of delays in speech and language development, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems.
To ensure that geography is not a barrier to accessing vital early childhood hearing services, the screening team has visited regional Queensland for six years thanks to Thiess, Hear to Learn’s founding regional partner.
For nearly thirty years, Thiess has partnered with Hear and Say in driving meaningful and lasting change for babies and children with hearing loss through numerous fundraising events and Hear to Learn.
It is fitting that the funding Thiess provides supports students in the regions where Thiess operates.
Each year, the School Screening Team visits schools across Central Queensland delivering hearing screenings that otherwise might not be easily accessible or require a long drive from home.
These trips ensure that regional children with hearing issues can be identified, receive the help they need, and aren’t left behind simply because of where they live.
The outback town of Aramac, home to just nearly 300 people, has seen a bright history of loud shirts and jumping on board for what’s called the ‘Loudest Town’ competition.
Introduced by Hear and Say as part of their Loud Shirt Day celebrations in 2019, the competition challenges small Queensland towns to don their wackiest shirt and raise the most money. The prize is a framed ‘loud’ shirt signed by Hear and Say Vice Patron and NRL legend, Wally Lewis.
Not just a fundraising initiative, the Loudest Town competition is also an opportunity to bring communities together behind a common cause and to celebrate young people with hearing loss and their achievements.
Led by locals Kerryn and Sam Geltch, Aramac have banded together and taken part in the Loudest Town competition for several years, taking home the coveted title in 2022 after raising an impressive $29,147 (they’ve now raised a total of $70,000 so far for Loud Shirt Day).
Kerryn and Sam’s daughter, ten-year-old Emily, was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in her left ear and moderate-to-severe hearing loss in her right ear at birth. Given there was no family history of hearing loss, the diagnosis was a surprise for Emily’s parents.
“For two new parents from the bush to travel 1,200km away from our home and family to seek answers was very daunting,” said Kerryn.
“I can still remember those first couple of months so clearly – it was a whirlwind of appointments with many different specialists and so much information to absorb.”
After being fitted with hearing aids, Emily underwent her first cochlear implant surgery when she was one year old. When her hearing aid in her right ear was no longer enough, she received her second cochlear implant in 2021.
“Our five-year-old daughter Charlotte is the biggest inspiration in life, seeing all the challenges she has had to overcome, and Hear and Say has played a vital part in helping Charlotte live her life to the fullest,” said Catherine.
“The first inkling we had that Charlotte had hearing difficulties was during the newborn screening in hospital. She passed on her right side but failed on her left. The nurses tried to assure us that this was common, and the result could have been due to a build-up of fluid which, if it was, would resolve,” she said.
“When Charlotte was born, she spent five days in special care as it was discovered she was having difficulty breathing through her nose which required further testing.
“Charlotte and I were flown down to Brisbane and testing showed a blocked right nasal passage and a narrow left nasal passage (explaining her occasional difficulty breathing) but also showed an absent left auditory nerve meaning Charlotte would never hear on her left side.
“Charlotte underwent several surgeries to help rectify her breathing problems. Her ENT was incredible, he guided and supported us through the diagnosis that Charlotte wouldn’t hear from her left side and gave us assurance that she would do well in life with single-sided hearing, wearing her hearing aid.”
“Hear and Say guided us through the entire process, and even allowed our family and friends to live stream the switch-on as they couldn’t be there at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions,” she said.
“Since then, we’ve had regular audiology programming and listening and spoken language lessons, both in-centre and via telehealth. Charlotte gained access to vital sound quickly.
“Much of Charlotte’s success is due to her sheer determination, happy nature, and desire to communicate with those around her.
“We can’t stress enough how much is also due the wonderful team at Hear and Say who ensured Charlotte’s early access to speech and continued her momentum post-switch on.”
For the eighth year in a row, Mettle is gearing up for an even bigger and brighter Loud Shirt Day.
“Loud Shirt Day is always a special day here at Mettle,” said Sarah Murray, Business and Submissions Manager, Mettle.
Mettle has been a long-standing supporter of Hear and Say and Loud Shirt Day, raising vital funds and awareness for children with hearing loss. It is a cause close to the heart of Manager Director, Marc Kenney. He and his wife Tash have two children, Amelie and Xavier, who were both born deaf and went through the Hear and Say program.
Last year, the Mettle team rallied their staff, clients, subcontractors, family, and friends to get involved and raised over $64,000. They hosted a ‘Loud Shirt Day Summer Soiree’ event featuring a paw-fect pet competition and community-sponsored prizes.
“We love a theme here at Mettle! Of course, clients, subcontractors, family, and friends will all be involved this year but as for our theme…you will have to wait and see,” said Sarah.
While the Mettle team is tight-lipped about this year’s theme, if the past is anything to go by, it will no doubt be loud. Their Loud Shirt Day fundraising events have included loudest shirt competitions, a ping pong championship, creating Queensland’s largest Loud Shirt (five metres by four metres, to be exact) and a giant lei.
Marc reflected on the importance of Loud Shirt Day, and how inspiring it is to see everyone come together year after year.
“It’s pretty simple for me, my children inspire me to keep this going. It’s also knowing that the funds we raise help other families in the same situation we were in close to nine years ago when my daughter Amelie was born,” said Marc.
“It’s quite humbling and heart-warming at the same time to see our team get behind us each year. It’s a true blessing,” he said.
Marc’s children, nine-year-old Amelie and seven-year-old Xavier, who love gymnastics, sports, and hanging out with the other kids on their street, were both diagnosed with hearing loss at birth.
“It was heart shattering, hard to hear, hard to listen to, and hard to accept,” said Marc.
“I’d heard about Hear and Say when I was working for Thiess and did some fundraising for them back in 1996 – it’s weird how things come around,” he said.
Amelie and Xavier both received cochlear implants before they were one year old.
“When our children were switched on, it was a truly ‘let there be light’ moment” said Marc.
“Having access to Hear and Say helped us navigate those waters. Amelie and Xavier both came to Hear and Say for regular listening and spoken language therapy and Group Social Skills programs,” he said.
“Our outcomes are very different to what they could have been. We have two smart, healthy and genuinely joyful children who go to their local school and are nailing it,” he said.
“We are very blessed to have Hear and Say contribute to this outcome for the Kenney family.”
When asked what they would say to other businesses thinking of getting involved in Loud Shirt Day, it was a resounding “Do it!”
“It’s the most rewarding event you will participate in. Watching your teams fundraising page get bigger and bigger and knowing you are making a difference to the lives of children and families impacted by hearing loss, it’s almost addictive!”
The Importance of Reading to Children
Let’s Hear It For The 100,000th Screening
A Small But Mighty Town Raise The Volume For Loud Shirt Day
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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of all the lands on which we meet, work and live and recognise that this land has always been and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.
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