A Thornbury mum has described the magical moment her three year old son could hear the sound of her voice for the first time.
Sue Pietersen said her son Hughan's face shined as his ears picked up the noise of everything happening around him, from doors shutting to words spoken.
At the age of nine months old, Hughan, who lived in Botswana at the time, was diagnosed with being profoundly deaf in both ears.
His parents were told they faced two options, either teach him signing or be one of the first families in South Africa to ever undergo a cochlear implant. They opted for the latter.
Before Hughan could have the life-changing procedure, his parents had to raise a massive £40,000 which they achieved through fundraising.
Almost three years later, he became only the 10th person in South Africa to undergo a cochlear implant which brought hearing back in one ear.
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It took him years after the operation to be able to understand what people were saying. Every sound had to be explained from a dog barking to car horns beeping, none of the noises made sense on their own.
The family moved to Thornbury when Hughan was 10. He then started at Crossways Junior School, but he was always behind in classes because his deafness made it hard to understand what was being said.
"Straight away after the operation he could hear what was being said," said Sue. "It was the most magical moment to watch his face, his expressions as he took it all in."
Sue decided to share Hughan’s story by setting up a Facebook group to give hope to other families in the same situation. The group was a big hit and now boasts more than 50,000 followers.
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And amazingly, on this group Hughan, now aged 30, met his future wife.
"Emma who lives in New Zealand, and is also profoundly deaf using cochlear implants, was one of the first people to put a comment on the page," said Sue. "I thanked her, she replied, we got chatting and soon became friends on Facebook. I told Hughan about Emma and within a few months they became friends, which led to WhatsApping and Facetimeing each other. This was challenging because of the time zone.
"In 2015 Emma flew by herself to meet Hughan and us all in England. Later that year Hughan got a two-year visitor’s visa, enabling him to work for one year in New Zealand.
"After enjoying life down under and an extension to his work visa they got engaged in August 2017 and they started planning their marriage in January 2019 in New Zealand.
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"We would like to say a huge thanks to all the teachers, friends and everyone in Bristol who have contributed to Hughan’s success. He could never have achieved what he has without your support."
Sue is also hoping to raise £5,000 to pay for a creative art psychotherapist to work at Elmfield School for deaf children.
She is hosting a Breakfast Rotary Club at Westbury on Trym Village Hall, at 7pm on July 26, you can buy tickets here.
To find out more about Sue and Hughans' incredible story, click here.
