with Edg Adrian A. EvaA reporter
Hearing loss in children undergoing cancer treatment is a serious side effect—especially during their formative years, when social interaction is critical to their development.
“Many are unaware of the unintended side effects of this treatment, especially irreversible hearing loss,” JP Mallo, II Want to Share Foundation (IWTS) Board of Trustee said in his opening statement during the exchange ceremony.
In the 2023 survey, Mr. At the Philippine General Hospital, this is often seen among patients with brain tumors and osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
To bridge the gap, ten pediatric cancer patients from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) received hearing aids on October 29, in a fundraising event led by the I Want to Share Foundation (IWTS) in collaboration with Manila Hearing Aid.
Twenty additional hearing aids will also be provided to other selected pediatric patients at PGH in the near future.
This step is part of PGH’s survival plan, according to Dr. Ana Patricia Alcasabas, pediatrician at PGH. It was developed as many children have survived cancer since the early 2010s, in collaboration with civil society organizations and non-governmental groups, to address the long-term effects of cancer treatment, such as deafness.
“We want to move the children to reunite them (back) with their schools, families, and improve their careers… They have disabilities such as hearing loss, (but) we want to help them overcome it,” said Ms. Alcasabas.
Each hearing aid is customized for each patient, depending on the size of their ears and the severity of the hearing loss, which takes at least three months to develop, said Sheila Marie B. Romero, founder of IWTS. BusinessWorld.
For patients like 7-year-old Rome, a two-year cancer survivor diagnosed with Grade 4 Medulloblastoma (a very aggressive and fast-growing type of brain tumor), getting a hearing aid can help her get back to school, as both of her children have. ears were severely affected by some of his cancer treatments.
“Kanina no’ng nabigyan kami niyan (hearing aid) sobrang naiyak talaga ako. Kasi mahina lang yung boses ko, (tapos) asked ko siya kung nariligi na niya ako? Naririnig niya ako, he answered po siya [Earlier, when we were given the hearing aid, I was crying because I asked him in a soft voice if he could hear me, and he said yes],” said Michelle Teodocio, Rome’s mother BusinessWorld.
Meanwhile, for 8-year-old Lance, who is undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy for Grade 4 Medulloblastoma, getting a hearing aid may help him enjoy his favorite music and videos on his mother’s smartphone.
“Super thankful din po kami napil siya na mabigyan kasi parang mahina rin po yung kanan niya kahit pang-apat pa lang po namin (cycle) [We are also very thankful that he was chosen to receive it because his right ear seems to be losing hearing, even though it is only our fourth cycle],” said Anna Joy Dela Cruz, Lance’s mother.
The founder of IWTS, Ms. Romero, told BusinessWorld that after the initial distribution of thirty hearing aids to pediatric cancer patients at PGH, the foundation will continue to provide hearing aids to more patients in the future, strengthening its commitment to supporting the lives of young cancer survivors.
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