Yvonne Foong: Fighting NF

The girl in this photo is Jorja Steele from New Zealand who lost her hearing before she turned one years old. She could not benefit from cochlear implants because meningitis damaged her inner ear. This left her with only one choice which was the auditory brainstem implant – the one I got in 2006. Six months after I had mine implanted, Jorja and her parents travelled to Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. The surgery, that made her the first child recipient in Australia, involved neurosurgeons from three hospitals. Click here to read the full story.

Jorja looked so cute, that I could not help stealing her photo.

In case you wonder, I had my surgery in L.A. because there was a tumor to be removed before the ABI could be implanted in me. Moreover, another tumor was unexpectedly discovered and de-bulked while surgeons accessed my brain to place the ABI electrodes in my brainstem. So if you are an NF patient like me who wants to get an ABI done in Australia, make sure the surgeon is also experienced in removing Acoustic Neuromas while he avoids damaging the facial nerve. At House Clinic, this is accomplished by two surgeons working together – a neurotologist and a neurosurgeon.