Tears of joy as two year-old hears for first time

On September 22, this newspaper published a story headlined 'Mother wants her son to hear '. In that article, Lexcine Witter spoke about her desire to have her two-year-old son, Leandre Forbes, travel to the United States of America for ear surgery.

Yesterday, Witter, a resident of Denham Town, west Kingston, contacted THE STAR with some great news. She said that in late October, a little over a month after her story was published, she was contacted by a representative of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, who told her that the Government would pay for the surgery at John Hopkins Hospital.

"I am really grateful for the assistance. I do believe Mrs Ann-Marie Vaz played an important role in making this happen, as we had spoke earlier. I want to tell everyone thanks for all who had donated to the GoFundMe page, as that was vital in securing airfare and other necessities," the mother said.

"I want to thank THE STAR for publishing the article, and to everyone who offered words of encouragement. A big thank you also to the medical staff, locally and internationally," she said.

Some US$1,253 (approximately J$177,900) was donated via the crowdfunding website. The equivalent of J$15 million was required for travel, accommodation and medical care.

Young Leandre was diagnosed with bilateral sensorial hearing. He underwent a successful operation, which included a cochlear implant surgery earlier this month. Witter said that the boy heard for the first time on Tuesday.

"Everyone was confident, especially the medical staff at John Hopkins Hospital, that the surgery was going to be a success. His healing process was very smooth as well. Words can't really express how I felt when I realised that my baby was hearing. Mi couldn't believe it ... Mi 'good-good' did a bawl. I am still overwhelmed," she said.

Witter said Leandre still has a way to go, and will be doing speech and other therapy sessions to assist his development. She is super excited that her desire to hear him say the word 'Mommy' will soon come to reality.