Help Walter

I’m Walter Lopez (fellow WordPress developer) and I need help to raise $75,000 for my (deaf) infant son’s Cochlear implants. The deadline is MAY 2021 (son’s 2-year old birthday), as recommended by specialists to prevent further loss of motor skill development.

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The Story

Juan Jose (my son’s name) unfortunate diagnosis:

My wife and I first noticed a problem with our son 1 year ago (when he was 4 months old). We were at a family wedding during the storm season when a strong thunder happened. Strangely, my son didn’t react to it while everyone was scared. The same week, strong winds slammed the door shut in the room where he slept. To our surprise, again he didn’t react.

We consulted with a pediatrician who referred us to a specialist to test for Auditory Evoked Potential. But by that time, the Covid lockdown started in our country and we couldn’t schedule for the test until 5 months later. We had no idea how much precious time was lost.

The 2 main specialists for hearing impairment are Otoneurologist (few neurologists subspecialize in otoneurology around the world) and Phono Neurologist. (I will confirm the exact title soon.) In Honduras, the real specialist is from the United States. He always needs to travel to assist the in-process learning Honduran surgeon, located in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazan.

By the time we were able to test, my son’s diagnosis came back as Bilateral Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

What is Bilateral Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

Bilateral meaning both ears.
Profound meaning deaf.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss is permanent. (It means the nerve connecting to the brain is not working, and is usually treated with implant acting as the replacement for the nerve.)

With either definition, if you have profound hearing loss, you won’t hear most everyday sounds without amplification, just loud sounds. You might catch a 100-decibel ambulance siren if your car window is open—but not someone calling you from behind.

Profound hearing loss usually stems from a birth defect or an illness or injury, not from age. Many people in this group read lips or use sign language as they cannot typically hear speech. However, people with severe or profound hearing loss can still benefit from hearing aids.

– Healthy Hearing (https://www.healthyhearing.com)

In JJ’s case, he doesn’t hear anything. His brain barely received any sound even above 195 decibels!

Testing for implants or hearing aids.

While the diagnosis is the worst that any parent could ever receive for their child, we wanted to find the best help that we could. The otolaryngologist instructed us to make more tests (blood test, magnetic resonance and CT in the ears) and see if he would need implants or just hearing aids. In this process, we consulted with every specialist we could find. We searched all over our country of Honduras to learn there was only 1 specialist of this level. During this time…my wife and I considered even to make visas to visit other countries and consult different specialists. Hoping maybe…someone might have a different opinion for us. But it is impossible with this Covid lockdown.

The last appointment was made on December 1, 2020. The diagnosis was final. My son needs Cochlear implants in both ears. The cost of the implants is $63.2k (31.6k each) plus $12k for hospitalization, medical fees and surgery costs. (See official document – Our country primary language is Spanish. I’m going to translate it to English in the coming days).

Why the Cochlear implant surgery has to be done now.

My son needs to be implanted as soon as possible to reduce the gap of his loss of motor skills. The specialists recommend to make the surgery no later than 2 years old and maximum 3 years. He is 1.5 years old (as of December, 2020). My wife and I are trying to save as much money as we can but it’s been very challenging.

On behalf of my little family

We thank you wholeheartedly for hearing out this story. It’s a strange place for us to be. But today and hopefully never again…we ask for your help and support. This is your chance to be our hero.

Thank you and best of wishes to you.

How you can help

Donate Money

No amount too big or small. Anything helps. Anything is appreciated and we really mean that. $1, $5, $20, $100. Any little bit helps. Offline donations, please use the contact form.

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Thoughts & Prayers

Don’t have extra funds? We know…it’s been a crazy Corona year for everyone. Kind words, hugs, thoughts & prayers are appreciated just as much. Please share with your social circle.

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Hire Walter

While Walter is in limited capacity for the oncoming months, he can be booked for future work. He does custom development and also offers website maintenance packages.

Visit WPAllied.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this donation tax-deductible?

No, this is not a non-profit org. It’s a person from the community who needs help now.

How much of the donations go to Walter?

Other than transaction fees (~5%), Walter receives all of it.

Why didn’t we use GoFundMe?

GoFundMe (along with other crowdfunding platforms) do not support the country of Honduras.

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Donors

Special thanks to our donors. Please checkout their businesses; many of them are top WP developers/contributors.

Walter, you and your wife are such wonderful people and I'm so proud to be connected with you through work. Give my love to JJ 🙂

I will pray that your son gets the help he needs!

Prayers from Texas

I will be praying for your son and your fam!

I pray your child gets well soon and is healthy forever

best to you all 🙏🏻

Wishing your family all the best!

Everything will be fine

Get well soon lil guy!

Best of luck!!

Best wishes…

You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers!

Best of luck to your whole family

Hang in there. Dawn will come. 🙂

I will keep you and your son in my prayers.

Sending positive vibes ❤️

❤️🙏👂

We haven't met, but prayers and rooting for you and your family.

Praying for your son

Best wishes for JJ!

Sending love and prayers! All the best for JJ!

Thinking of your family!

Best of luck with everything! I'm sure it will all work out

Love you, man. Say hello to JJ for me.

Help Walter

What is Bilateral Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

How you can help

Donate Money

Thoughts & Prayers

Hire Walter

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this donation tax-deductible?

How much of the donations go to Walter?

Why didn’t we use GoFundMe?

Donors

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