The gift of hearing for little boy Duong in Vietnam just in time for Christmas

Duong and his family receiving his 2 newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpowers in Hanoi, Vietnam on December 22nd, 2018.

Meet Duong, a very sweet little boy who lives in Hanoi, Vietnam who was born with Microtia and Atresia of both of his ears. Duong is almost 3 and lives with his mother, Co, his father, and other family members where they have fought to find resources to help Duong hear his best and have the best access to sound.

Co first reached out to Ear Community through our Facebook support group page, Microtia and Atresia Support Group, during the Summer of 2018.  Co was looking for resources to help her son, such as early intervention services but none were available in her area.  We were quickly touched by Duong’s story and how he has struggled to hear his mother, playmates, and family member’s voices.  Co then applied to Ear Community for assistance with hearing devices for Duong when she didn’t know what else to do.

As soon as Co learned that Ear Community’s board had voted to help Duong obtain two Hearing devices, the lengthy process of helping get Duong’s newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices soon began.  As they say, “it takes a village!”  Thank you to audiologists Patrick Tan (Oticon Medical) for program Duong’s new Pontos and ship them to Flavio who then traveled to Singapor to get Duong’s Pontos to him in Vietnam.  Once Duong’s Pontos arrived in Vietnam,  a special thank you to Thanh Thanh Mai for fitting Duong’s new Pontos for him in Hanoi.  On December 22^nd, 2018, Duong was fitted with his two newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices – just in time for Christmas!  Duong and his family traveled over 100 kilometers away from his home to get to Thanh Thanh Mai’s audiology office.  At first, Duong was a little nervous about the headband and the devices, but he quickly became excited once he began hearing everyone’s voices. Co, Duong’s mother, could not say ‘thank you’ enough – she wishes to thank all of the people at Oticon Medical who have helped along this journey, the members on our Facebook support group, everyone at Ear Community, and a very special thank you to Melissa and Heidi for being so instrumental in helping Duong hear with two Oticon Ponto 3’s.

Duong’s heart-warming story reminds us that Christmas truly is a time of giving back and helping those around us.  Ear Community is honored to be a part of helping so many families around the world be able to connect through sound.  Thank you so much to Oticon Medical, for partnering with Ear Community and giving us the opportunity to change lives.  Thank you to Patrick Tan, Flavio, and Thanh Thanh Mai for your tireless efforts to get Duong’s devices programmed and hand-delivered to Hanoi. This is the very meaning of giving back and going that extra mile to help someone in need.  Thank you to everyone at Oticon Medical for showing Duong and his family so much love and support!  Ear Community applauds the passion and effort that was involved with these individuals in helping another child hear better, so Duong can hear the way life was intended.

Duong looks forward to hearing all of the wonders of the world around him, playing with his friends and being able to hear the conversations and jokes he can now be a part of, hearing his parents as they sing and talk to him, and of course hearing his classes in school when he is old enough to go.

A very special thank you to Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing and Operations for Oticon Medical US, for choosing to donate the two new Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices to Ear Community so that they could be donated to Duong to help him hear better. Thank you to Beverly Ostrowski, Director of Customer Service, with Oticon Medical for helping ship Duong’s hearing devices.

Thank you for everyone’s support and for helping Ear Community continue with its mission of helping individuals with Microtia and Atresia. Oticon Medical believes in helping individuals with hearing loss so that they can live a better quality of life. Oticon Medical is a well-respected international hearing device manufacturer that is a part of the “William Demant Group [which has] 100-plus years of experience in audiology and sound processing and established manufacturing and logistics infrastructure.”

We wish every happiness for Duong and his family and are so happy that he was able to get such a wonderful Christmas present!
Thank you from everyone at Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org