Blog

It has been a few days since surgery to install a cochlear implant was performed on Yahya, a 4-year-old and 5-month-old Palestinian boy suffering from profound deafness.

The operation was successfully performed by surgeons at Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation on March 24, and after the scheduled monitoring period, the implant was activated on April 28, allowing the child to perceive, for the first time, sounds.

Yahya had been on the hospital's surgery department's waiting list since 2018, as the family was not in the right financial condition to be able to cover the costly expenses of the surgery.

The John Paul II Foundation, through the project "Let's Feel Good! guaranteeing every Palestinian hearing-impaired child the right to access diagnostic, treatment, education and rehabilitation services," funded by AICS, was able to support both technically and financially the operation and its success.

After a good 2 1/2 years of waiting, little Yahya has taken his first big step toward his own rehabilitation journey. We know that this is only the beginning of a long medical, speech and educational journey, but Yahya is strong and will not have to fight this battle alone.

Deafness affects many children in Palestine, and the waiting list for interventions is still very long. That is why the John Paul II Foundation is ready to bring all its expertise and resources to bear to ensure that Yahya's story does not remain isolated but can be the same for many other deaf Palestinian children in the future.