Saturday, December 11, 1999
Transmitter would help boy to hear
BY JOHN KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Andrew McGrew
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When Andrew McGrew, 4, first played soccer in September, a severe hearing loss prevented him from knowing when play had been whistled dead.
“Everyone would stop when the whistle blew, and he'd keep going. I don't know how many goals he kicked,” says his mother, Billy Jo McGrew, of Franklin.
After he started wearing hearing aids in September, he could hear the whistles — but not his coach's instructions.
So speech and hearing therapists have recommended that the McGrew family get a tiny FM transmitter system that would broadcast the voice of a coach, teacher or parent directly to his hearing aids. The microphone and pocket-size transmitter is similar to wireless microphones used in auditoriums, churches, theaters and TV studios.
Andrew has made great strides in his speech development since being fitted for hearing aids. Instantly he became fascinated by the sounds of airplanes, trains, birds and other noises most people take for granted.
“The day he got them, he wouldn't come in the house, because he was so amazed to hear the birds. He just sat out on the porch,” his mother said.
Her eyes fill with tears when she recalls when Andrew “got his ears” that September day.
“His eyes got big as saucers when they said, "Andrew, can you hear me?' And he sat on my lap and I whispered, "Andrew, I love you,' and he could hear me. He could never hear me before.”
Life hasn't been easy for Andrew. He was 2 pounds at birth, a third of the weight of his twin brother, Derek. Doctors told his dad, Steve, and Billy Joe to expect the worst.
“When Andrew was born, doctors told us he wasn't supposed to live,” his mom says. “He's been a fighter ever since.”
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