Owing to the members of the Patient Safety Foundation, a little girl, Huda Ali Mohammand Hamdallah, came to Poland to undergo further treatment. In March 2008 she had the cochlear implant implanted at the International Centre of Hearing Treatment and Rehabilitation in Kajetany, near Warsaw. The cost of the operation, being over 20 thousand EURO, was covered by the Archdiocesan Chaplaincy of Deaf People in Łódź. Now she came again to Poland for 10 days to have a change of device in Kajetany. She is hearing well and she started speaking.
– The child was born deaf and she had no chances of regaining hearing in her own country – says Professor Henryk Skarżyński, the state laryngology consultant. – Now after the operation she receives any sounds from her surroundings, she must learn to distinguish them and, of course, speak. I will be in contact with the physician from Diwaniya, Iraq, to be able to trace her continuous progress. Next year the Iraqi girl is coming to Poland to our centre for a check-up. Rehabilitation may take even more than one year.
The story
In June 2007 the members of the Patient Safety Foundation went on a humanitarian mission to the Delta base in Al Kut. They brought medications, orthopaedic equipment, as well as computers and teaching aids.
– Owing to General Mirosław Różański, the commander of the Delta base, we had an opportunity to establish a direct contact with the local people – says Jolanta Bilińska, President of the Patient Safety Foundation. We managed to teach children at one of Al Kut schools how to wash hands properly and explained them why personal hygiene protects against infections, etc. Students who prepared best posters promoting hygiene received rucksacks, school accessories and toys. At the paediatric ward of the municipal hospital, thanks to the assistance of Arabic translators we could talk easily about the level of health care in Iraq. It was then that I met Huda Ali Hamdallah for the first time. First I was worried about how I would raise so much money and how the little Iraqi girl would adapt to a new environment. But it was a success and I know that this is the right way and that all around the world there are children waiting for help.
In 2007 a concert was held at the Grand Theatre in Łódź. It was organized jointly by Piotr Turek, a priest working with deaf people, and Jolanta Bilińska, President of the Patient Safety Foundation. The concert was dedicated to deaf children and its motto was “Caring about children is putting us on the way to heaven”. Owing to Polish people’s generosity we were able to raise money for implantation of the cochlear implant to Huda Ali Mohammad Hamdallah.
In June 2007 the girl visited Łódź for the first time being invited by the Archdiocesan Chaplaincy of Deaf People and the Patient Safety Foundation. Owing to the auction of the painting by Danuta Muszyńska-Zamorska, a famous Łódź painter, as well as the cake made by the Miś Brothers patisserie, it was possible to complete all formalities related to the visit of the Iraqi girl and her father to Poland.
The child underwent thorough diagnostic examinations at the otolaryngology clinic managed by Professor Andrzej Makowski at the Polish Mother’s Memorial Research Institute. Unfortunately, the child was born deaf and when undergoing the hearing test she did not react even to 100 decibels. The only hope for the girl was implantation of the cochlear implant. She underwent the operation in March 2008.
Every year Huda should come to Poland for check-up. It costs a lot of money, but
- We started with help so we could not stop – gives answer Jolanta Bilińska, chair.
This time Huda had more time for sightseeing the city, she had no pain after operation, she smiled a lot playing in the garden with her friend Weronika and Vivien.
