United Way Success Story: Emily and Henry
Emily and Henry -- United Way Helping All Children Achieve Their Potential
United Way of the Bluegrass is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life. A quality education leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement and good health. We are committed to helping children achieve their potential, helping families become financially stable and improving the health of Central Kentuckians. Last year, through United Way funded programs and partnerships more than 1,900 children from birth to age six were served in United Way funded early care programs and physical and mental health care was provided to over 4,200 individuals.
One of the many children served through a United Way funded program is Henry. When Henry was 5 weeks old, he started therapy at Lexington Hearing and Speech Center (LHSC). Henry had failed his Auditory Brainstem Response test three times and the audiologist recommended that Henry be taken to LHSC where their staff could answer his mother’s questions and better serve Henry. When he was born, he was only able to hear at 120 decimals, which is like sitting next to an airplane not being able to hear the engine. Through the help of LHSC staff and two cochlear implants, Henry’s hearing is at 15 decimals for most frequencies. This is comparable to the hearing of the average person. LHSC prepared his mother, Emily, for the most likely scenarios in Henry’s development. This gave Emily the peace of mind she needed to deal with what was going on and gave her options for his treatment.
Published on November 15, 2011