SWEET SOUND OF PROGRESS - Jaydi-Ann making strides since getting hearing aids

A lot has happened for Jaydi-Ann Chambers over the past six months since she was fitted with hearing aids.

The five-year-old, who was diagnosed as being deaf by doctors earlier last year, benefited from the gift of the hearing devices last December after the story of her hearing difficulties was published in this newspaper. It caught the attention of Canopy Insurance Limited, which stepped up and financed the purchase of the hearing aids, valued at $350,000.

Fast-forward six months, her mother Tara Chambers is elated at her progress.

"She is responding more to sounds now because of the hearing aids, and she is saying a few words. Any words she hear me say, from she get it properly, she repeats it," Tara told THE WEEKEND STAR. "She don't reach the stage to say full sentences, but she is getting there."

Before being fitted with the accessories, staring a new chapter, Tara found herself constantly shouting to get a response from Jaydi-Ann. Thankfully, that is no longer the case.

"Me can even leave her at home for somebody to watch her. Other times me wouldn't do that because she couldn't hear and me never want nothing happen to her," the mother said.

The young child has commenced speech therapy as her speech was delayed as a result of her hearing problem.

"She do the therapy in Mandeville with Doctor Dunn. She suppose to do it two days a week, but I can only send her once because I can't afford it. I know that with speech therapy, little by little she will get to where I want her," Tara told THE WEEKEND STAR. She is also enrolled in online classes.

"I wish she was doing face-to-face because she would have better interactions. But I do what I can with her as well. She can write her name now, by herself, she can spell the word 'sun' and 'cat'," Tara beamed.

Called to the telephone, Jaydi-Ann said a quick "Hello! Hello!", then she was off to continue watching cartoons on television.

"I'm so appreciative of everything and I'm just happy that she is progressing. It will take a while, but right now I'm just anxious to see what will happen," the proud mother said.