Loud Shirt Day Champions
Ziggy and Nerija
Siblings Ziggy and Nerija love wearing it loud for Loud Shirt Day! They both have profound hearing loss. Ziggy received his cochlear implants at 12 months old, and his sister Nerija received her cochlear implants at 14 months old.
When you ask Ziggy how NextSense supported them he'll tell you ‘NextSense helped us become super kids and now, we can do whatever we want!’
Natalija and her family
When you ask Natalija what she wants to be when she grows up she'll tell you ‘I want to be an astronaut.’
NextSense has helped redefine what's possible for Natalija - she speaks and hears just like her hearing peers, attends a local primary school with one of her brothers, and loves it!
Natalija has profound hearing loss and wears cochlear implants to help her hear and speak. Her hearing loss doesn't limit her achievements or define her. She plays in a basketball team, a soccer team, is learning karate and is part of the chess team at school. She's a superstar already reaching for the stars!
Gary Bigeni
Challenge is something that Gary learned to face from an early age. He was born with hearing loss and wore hearing aids from the age of three. Gary wants every young person to beleive in the power of the motto, ‘Don’t let anything get in your way.’
‘Being a Champion for Loud Shirt Day is something that I hold close to my heart and is an opportunity for me to continue to inspire and raise awareness for people with hearing loss. With Loud Shirt Day we have the opportunity to celebrate who we are, love who we are, and embrace our hearing loss. I want people with hearing loss to know that they should never let anything get in their way of achieving their goals and to love themselves regardless.’
Nicholas
Nicholas was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss at 5 weeks old and a few weeks later was fitted with his first pair of hearing aids. He's now 3.5 year old and thriving! He's developing on par with his hearing peers and loves to communicate through spoken language.
Nicholas and his family join the LOUD celebrations every year and wear it loud to support other children like Nicholas who have hearing loss.
His parents, Stephanie and Anthony, shared 'Nicholas is making progress each day and we are so proud how far he has come. NextSense continues to be an amazing support for Nicholas in his development and we can’t thank them enough for all that they provide!'
Axel
When Axel’s profound hearing loss in both ears was discovered at his newborn hearing screening test, he was just days old. Early intervention was suggested and by 7 weeks old he was already wearing hearing aids. By 12 months Axel had been fitted with bilateral cochlear implants to allow him to develop speech and language.
‘Now 2.5years old, Axel’s communication skills are progressing incredibly! He loves going to daycare 3 times a week where he engages in all the activities and with his peers just like any other child his age,’ says Axel’s mother Julia.
Chilverleigh Early Learning Centre, where Axel attends, are getting loud this year to acknowledge how far Axel has come on his journey and to support the amazing services NextSense have provided him.
Alex
Alex was born with bilateral profound hearing loss and was implanted with cochlear implants when he was 7 months old. This year Alex's uncle Dom, hosted a Loud Shirt Day Lunch at his restaurant Casa Di Tutti to help raise awareness and funds for children with hearing loss. This year was Alex's 5 year anniversary of implantation so the lunch was a double celebration!
Alex and his family never miss the annual celebration of wearing it loud for kids with hearing loss!
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