Soon after Anton’s birth I was told that he couldn’t use his right ear and was advised to see a specialist right after leaving the birthing home. When Anton was 1 month old, he was referred to the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital in Rostov-on-Don, where my son was diagnosed with “conductive hearing loss, atresia (imperforation. – Rusfond USA) of the right auditory canal, microtia (absence. – Rusfond USA) of the right aural cavity”. The doctors explained that there was nothing to be done about it. They recommended that we see an audiologist, and then have frequent sessions with a speech-language pathologist when Anton gets older. Despite his healthy left ear, my son did not react to any sounds –  not even loud noise. At three months old, he finally began to react to loud voices, but only if they came from the left – his healthy – ear. When Anton turned 7 months old, our audiologist suggested that we install a bone-conduction hearing aid. But this is a temporary solution, as she explained, since the skull bone would grow thicker and impermeable to sound. But we didn’t even get the temporary device, as Anton was not assigned a disability status with one healthy ear, so we could not obtain the device for free. And we couldn’t afford to buy it ourselves – it was too expensive. I began to search the Internet and stumbled upon the story of Ivan Primak - a boy with bilateral conductive hearing loss. Doctors at an American clinic - California Ear Institute – in Palo – Alto, California restored his auditory canals and shaped an auditory cavity from special material. Now Ivan is no different from other children and can hear without any problems. When the clinic’s specialists visited Moscow this spring, I asked them to examine Anton. They confirmed that my son's hearing can be completely restored after just one surgery. I had new hope. But time is working against us. The older Anton gets, the worse he orientates himself in the outside world. It is especially dreadful when we go outside. My son cannot determine where cars are approaching from. His hearing problems are also impeding his speech development. At the age of 2, Anton only knows 15 words. If we do not perform this surgery, our son will be unable to live a full-fledged life, go to a regular school, and communicate with his peers. Please, give Anton this chance for a normal life!

Marina Lushina, Rostov region.

To save two-year-old Anton 9,750 USD is needed

The cost of Anton's treatment is 156,000 USD. We are happy to report that Rusfond has raised the entire amount needed. However, an additional 9,750 USD may be required for him and his mother's flights, accommodations, food, local transportation, and other associated expenses for the duration of their stay in the USA. Dear friends, if you decide to help Anton, please don’t feel intimidated by the price. All donations will be accepted with equal gratitude.You can contribute to Rusfond USA using PayPal or by sending a check made payable to Rusfond USA and mailing it to Rusfond USA, 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300, New York, NY 10170. Thank you! All donations in excess of what is needed for Anton will help other children in need of ear surgery.

Rusfond USA

2017-12-15