Fundraiser to Continue Giving the Gift of Hearing to the Children of Armenia
Sunday, March 11, 2012 5:30 p.m.
Five more received the ?gift of hearing?
Just before the year ended, four young children and one young adult received the ?gift of hearing? due to the efforts of Armenian International Medical Fund (AIM Fund). Even though the ?switch on? of the cochlear implants took place on December 24th, 2011, the surgeries were performed a month before. AIM Fund?s 9th medical mission took place in November 2011 by a team of volunteers from UCLA: Akira Ishiyama, MD., Salpy Akaragian, RN-BC, MN, Don Kawachi and Shant Shekherdimian, M.D. The cochlear implant surgeries were performed at the Erebouni Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, under the leadership of Arthur Shukuryan, M.D. Most of the patients were children under 5 years old, two of which were identified through neonatal hearing screening that is performed on all newly born infants in Armenia.
In addition to the surgeries, during this mission ?state of the art? virtual training took place at the Armenian International Ear Center located at Erebouni Medical Center. The chosen fellow, Gayane Sargsyan, and other ENT specialists practiced drilling temporal bones (part of the skull near the ear) under the guidance tutorship of well-known cochlear implant surgeon and Professor Dr. Akira Ishiyama.
Although these surgeries are free of charge to the patients, the implants are quite costly. The implants are funded by AIM Fund and the Armenian Government, specifically the Minister of Health Harutyun Kushkyan, MD. As of today, 49 children and young adults are able to enjoy sounds of nature, the voices of their loved ones and other joyful sounds due to the successful results of their cochlear implant surgeries.
AIM Fund?s cochlear implant project requires a strong infrastructure, incredible leadership, countless volunteers and a meaningful budget. AIM fund plans to continue giving the ?gift of hearing? to more children in 2012. To accomplish this goal, a fund raising event is scheduled for March 11, 2012 at Pandora on Green Restaurant at 5:30pm. For more information, please contact AIM Fund at (818) 257-8998 and/or visit www.armenianimf.org. With your support, countless more children and young adults will be able to hear and have their lives transformed. Please help AIM Fund make their dreams come true!
