Hi I’m Calum Reece Tomlinson! I am almost a year old and I live in Heanor in Derbyshire with my Mum, Dad and big brother Ellis. I am profoundly deaf in both ears, but soon I will be getting ‘bionic ears’ to help me to hear.
The reason I am deaf is because my Mummy caught cytomegalovirus (CMV) while she was pregnant with me. My Mummy says that CMV is just a common virus, a bit like a cold. Most people catch CMV throughout their lives and it doesn’t normally cause any problems – Mummy wasn’t even aware that she had caught a virus as she didn’t feel poorly at all.
When I get my bionic ears, or cochlear implants, my hearing won’t be like yours. My bionic ears will send signals to my brain where they will be interpreted as sound. Some people say that everyone will sound like robots or like Mickey Mouse! Hopefully, after lots of listening practice, hearing people talk will sound more natural.
My Mummy says that having cochlear implants requires a huge commitment to looking after them. This will involve lots of visits to the cochlear implant centre, and visits with speech and language therapists, teachers of the deaf and audiologists. A lot of children who are deaf struggle to listen and talk like hearing children as not enough help is provided on the NHS. This is why we travel to Oxford every fortnight to Auditory Verbal UK.
Auditory-verbal therapy is a way of teaching deaf children to listen and speak using their amplification devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. Hearing and listening become a part of communication, play, education and eventually work. Auditory Verbal UK are a registered charity (1095133) who do not receive any direct government funding. Auditory Verbal Therapy costs £4,500 per year and many of the families they see cannot meet the full costs themselves. Please help us to fundraise towards this total for Calum’s fees.
My family want me to have the same opportunities in life as a hearing person, and are sure that with the support of my family, local professionals and Auditory Verbal UK that when I attend school I will be at least as good at listening and speaking as the hearing children who will be in my class.
Please have a look at the ‘3 Peaks Challenge’ page to look at the fundraising that is going on to fund my place at AVUK and to support the wonderful work that the CMV Support group does.
My Mum’s story will tell you about our story so far in more detail, and her blog will give you updates.
Please look out for the Derby Evening Telegraph on the 19th May and the Ripley and Heanor News on Thursday 26th May as my story is going to be published! Have a look at the ‘blog’ for more information.