Dubai: A hearing-impaired UAE resident has become the first woman in the region to receive an international award and grant to pursue her dreams.
The Graeme Clark Scholarship of Dh25,000 for 2014-2015, instituted by Cochlear, is meant for providing bright students with cochlear implants financial assistance for their higher studies.
Nada Al Sayed Sami Gaballah, 22, who is in the fourth year of dental medicine at Future University Cairo, struggled to triumph over her handicap and has been a consistently bright student getting straight As in school. She won a number of awards for her academic excellence, including the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Award for excellence in studies on graduation from grade 12.
Diagnosed with moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss (deafness in both ears) at the age of three, Nada’s parents decided not to dampen her spirits and raise her as a normal child.
At a ceremony held at the Cochlear Middle East office at the Dubai Health Care City (DHCC), Nada recalled her struggle and the unconditional support of her parents in her acceptance speech. “I am grateful to God for giving me the power to overcome my hearing loss and I thank my parents for their unflinching support at every step,” said the young girl, breaking down in tears.
She added that her life changed dramatically with the first cochlear implant that was surgically implanted at Mafraq Hospital in 2008 and now, with the second cochlear implant done six weeks ago, she was confident of marching ahead and achieving her goals.
Recalling her struggle, her parents — Dr Huda and Sami Gaballah — talked about their determination to provide their daughter a normal environment. They admitted her to a special needs school in Khobar in her earlier years where they taught her to comprehend conversation without sign language, just with lip reading.
Dr Huda relived the moments when she discovered her first-born was hearing-impaired: “When I discovered my daughter was hearing-impaired, I bitterly regretted the times I had chided her for not responding to her name. It is important for parents to monitor their child from the time it is born and see why a child is not responding to sound. We lost precious time with Nada and she started formal schooling at the age of seven. However, with a bright mind, she was able to quickly grasp and stay ahead in her class. But I knew Nada had a very high IQ so I was determined to put her in the right school and make sure the teacher faced her while speaking as, with hearing aid, she could not make out what the teacher was saying if the teacher faced the blackboard. I would visit all the schools Nada went to innumerable times, making sure she got the front seat and the teacher faced her while speaking. Nada wrote her exams like all normal kids and we never asked for any special support. That has made her a tough girl who is willing to compete with normal students today.”
Now with the implants, Nada’s world has changed from that of silence into a burst of colour. She is able to decipher conversations even when people are not facing her. She graduated with flying colours from school and pursued her dream to follow her gynaecologist mother in the medical field by opting for dentistry.
The young girl not only graduates from dentistry next year but has already found love and is engaged to be married to a fellow dental student.
