Sound Transforms the Life of a Determined Little Girl and Her Family

	Alex O’Neal, South Central Regional Medical Center Speech and Language pathologist, watched Meg Hanna’s learning development in amazement as Meg grasped the teachings.

“She has surpassed everyone’s expectations,” says South Central Regional Medical Center Speech and Language pathologist Alex O’Neal. “Meg, now 5 years old, is doing well in a regular kindergarten class. I see no reason why Meg can’t do anything she wants to do with the rest of her life.”

But that wasn’t the case five years ago. Meg was one of a set of triplets born to Tania Hanna. Meg’s sister and brother were doing very well, especially for a set of premature babies born 10 1/2 weeks early. All premature births, according to O’Neal, receive special treatment and attention simply because they are not brought to term and problems are more likely.

Learning Development Becomes an Obstacle
When a baby is born, their learning processes—hearing sounds, making sounds, moving limbs, and even breathing—begin immediately. But when a baby is born deaf, as Meg was, it’s harder for the child to learn. With each day, the infant fell further behind in her learning and development than her siblings. But fortunately for Meg, she had champions who were willing to help her.

“As an educator myself,” says Hanna, “I knew her hearing impairment might limit her potential in school. I had to find a way to increase her chances.”

Family and Doctors Use the Right Tools to Help Meg Succeed
Hanna was determined; she knew that with the right tools, her daughter could succeed. O’Neal watched Meg’s learning development in amazement as Meg gradually grasped the teachings.

“Children, as many parents can attest, learn very quickly,” says O’Neal. “But hearing aids weren’t helping at all, so we had to go to the next step—to have a cochlear implant. The implant itself is not a cure but rather a tool we can use to improve the quality of life.”

“Once the implant operation was successfully done at River Oaks Hospital in Jackson, the improvement in Meg’s skills really began to take off,” says Hanna.

With the implant in place, the little girl of 18 months began to experience sensations she’d never had before. In a matter of months, she mastered sound and speech so that hardly anyone could detect there was ever a hearing problem.

	Meg Hanna was one of a set of triplets born to Tania Hanna. Meg's siblings were teachers themselves as they interacted with Meg during the learning process.

“You need to include the parents and family,” O’Neal adds. “Family members must be able to see how the child functions and adjust accordingly.”

Children learn how to associate sounds to words. Hearing children learn at their own pace. Some talk sooner than others. Meg was way behind the curve. She had some catching up to do. But the patience and dedication of O’Neal and the Hanna family almost ensured Meg would overcome the obstacles. It was ultimately up to Meg to embrace the teachings handed to her.

Meg also had another thing going for her—her brother and sister had become very protective of her. O’Neal alludes to the fact that Meg’s siblings were teachers themselves as they interacted with Meg during this process of learning. Had it not been for them, and the bond between the triplets, Meg may have learned at a slower rate.

“The siblings participated in Meg’s therapy sessions. Given the advances she has made, they can share greatly in the successes Meg has enjoyed,” says O’Neal.

“As the child grows in her abilities, so too does the involvement of that child into the family,” says O’Neal. “It is an amazing transformation.”

Child’s Success Is Its Own Reward
The reward of seeing Meg’s development is something O’Neal would not trade for anything in the world.

“I’m here as a guide," she says humbly. “I only get to be with a child such as Meg a short while, compared to members of her family. For me to be a part of a life such as Meg’s is a huge blessing. And to know I had a small part in her future is very gratifying.”

In a sense, O’Neal is as ecstatic hearing Meg’s voice as Meg’s mother. “Every time she comes in and says, ’Miss Alex, I’m here,’ a smile uncontrollably comes across my face,” O’Neal says quietly.

“After eight months with the implant she went from saying ’momma’ and ’no’ to forming sentences,” says Hanna. “It was an amazing progression that just accelerated after that.”

Close-to-Home Medical Professionals Make It Possible
Despite O’Neal’s humility, Hanna sets the record straight by saying her daughter’s future is bright due to the professionalism of the Speech Pathology program of South Central Regional Medical Center and O’Neal specifically.

“We have been very blessed to have the medical professionals close to home who can do the things they can,” says Hanna. “There simply aren’t words that can express accurately how we feel for everyone here. We owe them so much.”

Hanna points out that the Speech Pathology program has been flexible, which was very important to her and to Meg’s rapid advancement.

“They were able and very willing to adjust to meet our needs. It wasn’t about their schedule but rather ours. That was so important to us, and it gave us a peace of mind that, in the long run, helped us cope with the situation much better,” Hanna says.

“It was a long journey, but it was one I was willing to help them negotiate,” says O’Neal. “I could see the determination in Meg. I saw the same thing in her family. Meg’s success has, in a word, been incredible. I’m just happy to have been a small part of it.”

Youngest Child to Receive Implant
Meg Hanna became the youngest child in Mississippi, at the time of her operation, to receive a cochlear implant. She has been an amazing case study of cochlear implant and has proven to experts that a child can handle the rigors of learning sound and speech at an early age through the procedure.

Meg is yet another example of how the medical professionals at South Central Regional Medical Center can help in transforming a life.

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