Charity Support

ANZA Supports various Charities with the funds raised from the events we hold throughout the year.

Please see how your support by attending ANZA events has impacted the lives of others below.

> Blue Sky Healing Home

> School of Light & Love

> Choclear Implant Surgery - See below

Choclear Implant Surgery

Recently ANZA contributed to cochlear implant surgery for Chin Ying, an 8 year old girl from Inner Mongolia. This surgery will greatly improve the quality of life for her and her entire family. The surgery was a complete success!

Please read through the progress and thank you letters we received below as well as the pictures of Chen Ying following her surgery.

January 2008

Thank you for your interest in my little friend Chen Ying. Her story is not unlike that of many children in China, but this one little 8 year old girl whom I believe we can help.

As you know I am a speech-language pathologist living in China. In the USA my work centred around children’s speech and language development. It is only by accident that I became acquainted with a teacher from the British school who told me of Chen Ying’s great need.

Chen Ying, who is now 8 years old, became deaf at the age of two and a half years as a result of a high fever and/or the drug used to treat her illness. Doctors in Beijing believe that with a cochlear implant her hearing can be restored and she can learn to speak.

The Chen family is a typical farm family in DaLin Village, Inner Mongolia. It has been their dream of 5 years that they can find a way to pay $16,000 so that their beautiful daughter can hear. The family income from farming is supplemented by the mother’s work as a tailor and the father’s second job as a mason. Still, their yearly income is only $600.

Last summer I visited Chen Ying and her family in their village of Inner Mongolia. They told me I was the first foreigner to visit DaLin. Life for the Chen family is very simple. Their home is clean, but sparsely furnished. Heat is supplied by a wood stove in the kitchen.

I was very impressed by the progress Chen Ying has made with her language development and credit her parents for their patience and determination in teaching her to speech read. Chen Ying attends the village school; and in spite of her disability, she is one of the brightest in her class. She is an aspiring artist, has many friends and makes high marks in mathematics and written Chinese language.

To date, $6,000 has been collected for Chen Ying’s cochlear implant surgery. I have met with both Cochlear, the Australian Company and Med-E1, the Austrian company, both manufacturers of the artificial cochlea. It is possible that one of these companies will reduce the price of the device for Chen Ying.

Follow up care for patients is lengthy and expensive. For Chen Ying, it is estimated that she will have to return to Beijing at least once per month for the next three years for adjustment, rehabilitation and maintenance of the device. Transportation and lodging costs will be a burden.
If you have any questions, please call or email me at any time.

Again, I am delighted that y have taken Chen Ying to your hear. Her father told me that he will impress upon her that when she grows up and has a successful life in the hearing world that she must re-pay the kindness.

Yours truly,
Melody Ness, MS, CCC-SLP

Friday, 1st February 2008
Card received following the ANZA donation:

Dear friends,

It is with sincere thanks I write to you on behalf of Chen and her parents of DaLin Village, Inner Mongolia.

Your generous donation will help pay for the cost of her Cochlear implant surgery in Beijing this spring.

As you can imagine, this has been a glorious Chinese New Year for the Chen family! They are expected to arrive at the hospital on February 10th. We will give you regular updates regarding Chen Ying 's progress as she enters the world of sound.

Chen Ying's father would like you to know that each of you will be remembered in his heart forever.
Yours sincerely,

Melody Ness
Volunteer

Sunday, 18th February 2008

Dear friends,

Chen Ying is in the hospital tonight awaiting her surgery. At 10am she will be implanted with a cochlear device manufactured by Med-E1 of Austria. The chief surgeon is Dr. Gong of Tongren Hospital, Beijing. Med-E1 reduced the price of the device by 50% and this is because of Dr. Ding Guoyo, and ENT doctor employed by Med-E1.

I would not be able to write this letter if it weren’t for all of you. Your financial gifts and your encouragement made it possible. A friend once shared with me the mantra “think globally and act locally”. Friends from China, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Great Britain, and the USA have helped me do this. I think there is no greater feeling in the world than that which comes from helping a child. I hope your hearts are warm and your spirits bright. Your generosity will change the future of this lovely little girl. Please hold her in your hear during this critical period.

Chen Ying’s 7 year wait is nearly over. The prognosis is good that she will learn to hear in the language of the electronic cochlea. Her parents’ gratitude to you is evident in their smiles, their tears and their diligence. They made the 30 hour trip from DaLin Village, Inner Mongolia to Beijing by hard seat train. They told me no sleeper cars were available, but I believe they sacrificed their comfort to save money for a more important cause.

The know, and Chen Ying knows, that obtaining the implant is only the beginning of a long period of hard work for them and their daughter. Because of Chen Ying’s age and the length of time without hearing, the rehabilitation period will be longer than for a child who is implanted as a toddler. It is expected that Chen Ying will need to remain in a boarding school in Beijing for one year. Of course this will be difficult because Chen Ying’s parents, who are farmers, will have to return to their village soon for spring planting.

I will write again tomorrow after the surgery. I plan to be at the hospital at 8 if we can get through the morning traffic in a timely fashion. This morning’s traffic was at a standstill for two blocks in every direction from the hospital entrance. Everybody on bus #37 must have been late for work!

Thank you, thank you!
Melody.

Tuesday, 19th February 2008

Dear friends,

Thank you for your kindness. Dr. Gong and Dr.Ding proclaimed Chen Ying’s surgery “a complete success”. The artificial cochlea is in place.

I was there when they took her to the operating room at 12.42pm. She was only a little scared and hung onto her Mom when the gurney arrived. She returned 3 hours and 10 minutes later. Although she was a little sleepy, she scooted to her bed as directed by the nurse.

Her left ear looks like it has a big white earmuff on it. White gauze is wrapped around her head and secured on the right with a tidy little bow. Her loving parents are at her bedside round the clock. Tears of joy overwhelmed them when she was returned from OR. Even our driver, Liu Bing, and the other parents in the room cried with joy when she opened her sparkly eyes.

The unit is very relaxed. People come and go, bringing food for themselves and the patients. A woman gave me a hardboiled egg and another gave me a box of milk and a bottle of green tea. There are no set hours for visiting so I was able to return to see CY at 8pm last night. The nurses are attentive, but relaxed. They give the thermometers to the parents for temperature checks and instruct them how to keep fever at bay. A little boy in CY’s room spiked a fever and an orange-colored liquid medicine was bought in. No one knew how to open the “push down and turn” child-proof cap, so I was useful!

Another of Chen Ying’s roommates is a 13 year old boy. He is learning English, so he and I had a session. Now he no longer says ‘mean’ for ‘mine’ and ‘boooook’ for ‘book’. Sometimes he translates for me. Three women patients are also in the room, but so far they have not had any treatment. They are good company for CY’s room. Just to let all the kids reading this know – there is no TV in the hospital rooms and neither have I seen any video games.

Today Chen Ying will be able to eat food for the first time since the night before her surgery. Last night she was only allowed to sip water through a straw as she lay flat on her back. I will see her again this afternoon. I’m taking her a lovely knitted hat made by Allison, our Chinese teacher. Chen Ying had to have all her hair shaved before surgery, so I think she will be delighted with her new turquoise hat. I will get some photos for you to see.

Best wishes to all,
Melody.

Saturday, 1st March 2008

Hello!
Thank you all for your help and good wishes. Chen Ying is doing fine after her surgery. She will return to her village in Inner Mongolia for 30 days of rest. Her auditory-verbal rehabilitation will begin in Beijing on April 1st.
Melody

Tuesday, 2nd September 2008

Hi!

I thought everyone would like to see how much Chen Ying has grown. She went to McDonalds with her "auntie" recently. Someone gave her a mobile phone so she can text message her mother and dad in Inner Mongolia each week. She is making good progress - listening comprehension is about 90% and spoken language is about 75%. Her academinc performace is superior. She will continue in the elementary school and auditory verbal therapy center in Beijing for the coming school year. I really admire this brave little girl. Thanks for your help. Love, Melody