Addison received a double cochlear implant at the age of 14 months. Getting both implants at once meant her family could focus on getting Addison through speech therapy to bring her up to speed with other children.
Addison, who cannot hear or speak, was the first victim of a series of nationwide failures in hearing tests for newborns.
A Ministry of Health investigation this year found eight screeners, out of about 108, had not followed protocol by either screening the same ear of a baby twice, or their own ears instead of the baby’s.
Addison’s hearing loss was not picked up until she was 10 months old.
One cochlear implant is publicly funded, but a second one usually costs the family $50,000. If carried out at the same time as the first one, the cost reduces to $34,000.
Getting both implants at once meant the family could focus on getting Addison through speech therapy to bring her up to speed with other children.