President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lent a helping hand to two Syrian children with hearing impairments by arranging their treatment in Turkey.
The parents of six children, Fares and Gusun Afas migrated to Turkey's northwestern Kocaeli province from Syria's Aleppo province eight years ago. Three days ago, through the initiatives of philanthropists, hearing aids were given to the couple's 10-year-old daughter Fatma. After hearing the story of Fatma and her family, Erdoğan on Wednesday arranged for the treatment of the couple's other daughter Sara, who is 3 years old and also suffers from a hearing impairment. They invited the family to a university hospital following Erdoğan's intervention, Kocaeli University Rector Sadettin Hülagu said, adding that Sara had congenital hearing loss.
"Two months from now, we will place devices in Sara's ears. She will regain her hearing after receiving the hearing aids," Hülagu said. After Sara's treatment, her speech and hearing are expected to return to normal, he said.
He also pointed out that though Fatma can now hear voices with the help of her hearing aid, she may have difficulty speaking as she gets older. Hülagu promised to help her overcome that difficulty. Meanwhile, Eymen Afas, the children's aunt, said although Sara had congenital hearing loss, her older sister Fatma lost her hearing during violent explosions in Aleppo. Eymen thanked Erdoğan for lending a helping hand for the treatment of her nieces.
