It’s not often loud cries from children evoke tears of joy, but wails from Caymanian toddler Jking Truman after he began hearing sounds for the first time this week became music to the ears of his relatives.
The reaction from the 2-year-old during his first sound test after getting cochlear implants affirmed that surgery to enable him to hear had been successful.
Taya Truman, Jking’s grandmother, told the Cayman Compass Wednesday she was very grateful to see her grandson respond to hearing sounds for the first time in his life.
“When he started hearing, he started crying because it’s strange for him, never hearing before and then to hear … I was even crying. I was so emotional,” she said in an telephone interview from Miami where Jking underwent his surgery.
The Compass, last month, highlighted Jking’s story and his challenges with hearing impairment, as well as the valiant efforts of charities Acts of Random Kindness and LIFE (Literacy Is For Everyone), to get him the implants and support for specialised schooling.
The little boy now has the gift of hearing through surgically implanted small electronic devices.
The charities collaborated to get the Caymanian toddler the support and additional funds needed for the surgery, which was covered partially by CINICO.
New road ahead
Truman said, since the surgery, Jking has been recognising sounds and it has been a bit jarring for him. However, the specialists have said it will take the child some time to get used to hearing.
She said she does not mind the cries because she knows it means he can hear her voice and the sounds of the world around him.
“Everything went well with the surgery, it was very successful,” she said. “It’s healing now, and it’s healing properly. He just got off his antibiotics, so they were able to activate [the implants.] He’s a strong baby, [he has] no after-effects. He’s a healthy boy, he’s so strong.”
Truman said the surgery was just the first step in a long journey for her grandson, but it could not have been possible without the generous community donations and the support from Tara Nielsen at ARK, Erica Dell’Oglio at LIFE and Linda Brown, a specialist teacher of the hearing impaired.
“I know that we have people out there willing to help. I was so grateful to the people that helped … I am just so thankful, I was overjoyed to see that it happened [for Jking] and, without them, this would never happen,” she said.
Brown said, with the support and help Jking has received, he will now be able to communicate, develop relationships and friendships.
“He will experience the joy of sound, whether it’s his father’s voice or his Grammie saying ‘I love you’, music, and a whole world of environmental sounds – birds singing, waves, things we in the hearing world take for granted. This is a miracle and life changing for him,” she said.
More support needed
Nielsen shared Truman’s happiness at Jking’s successful surgery and his bright future ahead.
“This is exactly why we founded Acts of Random Kindness in the first place, for this kind of rescue operation where we could leap into action when it was needed and try and galvanise the community to support a little child who has a whole life ahead of him, and his grandmother, who deserves to be championed and supported,” she said.
She said Jking’s story is a wonderful example of charities and specialists working together.
Nielsen encouraged the community to continue to support the Truman family and the ARK crisis fund.
She added that the charity also accepts air-mile donations, which are used for cases like Jking when overseas travel is required.
Nielsen said seeing the benefit Jking has received encourages her and the ARK team to “keep fighting for people who need support and would otherwise not have access to this kind of life-changing procedure and intervention”.
Truman and both charities are appealing for the public to help Jking on his journey by donating to their efforts as he will need additional support for overseas health checks going forward.
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