“There was a lot of processing to be done, the various stages of a kind of grief for our own expectations. Her dad and I were unsure about Georgia’s future and what it would look like,” said Shay.
Georgia has a profound hearing loss, and when her parents started to look into cochlear implants as an option, they were put in contact with Hear and Say on the Gold Coast.
“Most of the world communicates verbally so I felt that it was important for Georgia to be part of that if possible,” said Shay.
“We wanted to be able to give her all the opportunities that her friends and family got. I really wanted Georgia to be able to experience everything that the world had to offer,” she said.
When Georgia was nine months old she had surgery for a cochlear implant and had them switched on for the first time. Since then she has grown into bubbly little girl and developed an incredible vocabulary, exceeding her parents’ expectations.
To achieve the incredible outcomes of listening and speaking takes a lot of hard work. Georgia and her family have undertaken regular speech therapy and audiology appointments at Hear and Say to make this a reality.
“Hear and say has made a huge difference, from the support upon the initial diagnosis of hearing loss, to the weekly speech therapy lessons we have. Georgia really enjoys going to her lessons and loves everyone there,” said Shay
“My hope for Georgia’s future is that she is happy and confident, I hope she can meet and surpass all her goals, that she has friends, experiences and really enjoys life.
“We are looking forward to seeing her grow and develop into a well-rounded little person.”
