00:03It does get lonely, you know, sitting in the hospital room, sitting in the hospital corridors,
00:08waiting for results, waiting for tests. A woman from Chatterndon is raising awareness
00:13of deafness after her son was found to have permanent hearing loss less than a week after
00:18being born. So at this age, most children just want to play and explore and Beau is
00:23no different for his family. Raising a deaf child comes with its own challenges, including
00:29learning the best way to communicate and finding the support that he needs.
00:33Beau wears a hearing aid on a headband to support the hearing in his right ear. And Alicia says
00:39hospital appointments and equipment cost the family between £200 and £300 a month.
00:45Initially, it did feel like the end of the world. Just because of, I suppose, the stigma around it,
00:52there isn't a lot about children's deaf awareness. And it's not until I've had a child myself
01:00that's deaf that I've found out this information. I don't think a lot of people know what sort
01:04of resources and support there is. I know that it's only going to get worse in some respects.
01:11Things like crossing the road, things like that are what scares me. At the minute, he's too young.
01:19Alicia is raising money for the National Deaf Children's Society, which gave her advice and
01:25reassurance when she needed it the most.
01:27They support children from all different ages, from birthright up to 18 years. So I know that
01:33they're going to be there probably for a big chunk of Beau's life. Just being able to speak to someone
01:40on their helpline is just a huge help. Obviously, they know what they're talking about. They can give you
01:46advice. They're able to guide you in the right direction. She hopes to raise more than £1,000
01:53to help other parents in similar circumstances feel less alone and access the support she did.
01:59Maisie Walker for KMTV, Chatterndon.
