On 24 January, Hayley Walsh had the first of her speech processors switched on. During the appointment different tones of sound were delivered to the speech processor in her right ear via a computer.

Hospital Audiologist Jamie Leigh said Hayley was clearly able to detect the sounds of her parent’s voices, turning around looking for the source of the noise.

Hayley’s mother Lyn Walsh said she couldn’t wait to take her home so she can hear her five siblings. “It’s great to see her smiling and interacting with the noises,” Lyn said.

Hospital Surgeon Robert Briggs, who performed the implant surgery on Hayley in early January, said he was pleased that the switch on of the first implant had been successful.

Hayley will continue to visit the Cochlear Implant Clinic for regular check-ups for the rest of her life. Her implants will enable her to determine which direction sounds are coming from as well as being able to hear more clearly when there is background noise.

Hayley will begin learning to speak in around 12 months, at the same time as her younger sister Bridget.

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