Salahaldin, a Syrian national who fled the war in his country, took refuge in Turkey via southeastern province of Kilis in 2014 and his wife Hanadi in 2018. Hanadi, who settled in İzmir and obtained “Temporary Protection Identification Documents” with his husband, gave birth to a child, named Aslan, three years ago.
According to newborn hearing screening test, doctors found that Aslan could not hear. Upon the family’s application, a hearing aid was provided to Aslan Alomar by an association. However, the device was not effective.
Doctors told the family that a cochlear implant (bionic ear) must be surgically implanted to the little Aslan, which allows the hearing to occur electronically, bypassing the ear phase, and transmitting the message directly to the acoustic (cochlear) nerve.
Aslan’s 37-year-old father, Salahaldin, who works in a market, applied to Dünya Doktorları (DDD)/Doctors of the World (DoTW) Turkey for the treatment of his child, who has aggressive attitudes due to hearing loss and constantly cry. DDD/DoTW Turkey took action so that Aslan could hear, and learned that he needs to have an operation before the age of 5 in order to have a high chance of success.
With the support of U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, DDD/DoTW Turkey provided Aslan with the necessary cochlear implant device, and a team of doctors, including Dr. Ibrahim Cukurova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Caner Mercan, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Burak Arslan, performed Aslan's inner ear surgery in September to place the implant.
One month after the surgery, doctors installed the device behind the ear at Adolescent Counseling and Health Service Center (ÇİDEM).
3-year-old Syrian boy Aslan excitedly hugged his mother because that was the first voice for the first time: his mother’s voice.
“We are very happy to see that our child is able to hear now. We hope Aslan will also speak after special practices. My wife wants to hear the word, “mother”, from our child. And I am waiting to hear the word, “father”, from him as well,” Aslan’s father Salahaldin said.
Aslan can now hear his parents and the colors of world’s sounds.
Aslan’s parents dream the day that their son could start speaking with the special education to given for his improvement of speaking skills. Aslan will be able to close the communication gap with his peers until school age.