A very happy birthday for eight-year-old Thomas
Apr 11 2009 by Chris Robinson, The Journal
A BRAVE youngster who heard Happy Birthday for the first time last year will be listening out for his name amid the cheers of thousands of football fans for the first time today.
Eight-year-old Thomas Ferry was born profoundly deaf but had an operation in 2007 to fit an electrical implant that gave him hearing.
And the Sunderland youngster has began to talk to his parents Helen and David, offering them hope for the future.
Today he will have his birthday read out in front of 48,000 cheering fans at the Stadium of Light during the Black Cats’ crucial clash with Manchester United.
The operation allowed Thomas to listen and sing along with family at the birthday party he shared with his twin Jack for the first time last year.
Mum Helen Morgan, 30, of Southwick, Sunderland, said: “He’s getting on absolutely amazing, he can talk.
“We can have conversations, other people may not be able to understand him.
“He can talk about something around him and you can get the just of what he is saying.
“His favourite word at the moment is Cristiano, he’s a massive fan of him and has posters on his bedroom wall.”
Miss Morgan and Mr Ferry, 34, a plate fitter, will take their son to the crucial game as a birthday surprise.
She added: “A friend of mine has given his name to be announced at the game so we are going to get him to listen out for it. He has the noise from the crowds to deal with as well, but I think he will be all right, there will be a lot of cheering.”
As well as his hearing problems, Thomas, who was born weighing just 1lb 10oz, also suffers from cerebral palsy. He attends the specialist hearing unit at George Washington Primary School in Washington and uses a wheelchair and bike to get around.
Surgeons at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough fitted the implant almost two years ago. It is an electronic device that gives the sensation of hearing.
Thomas and his brother Jack were born at Sunderland Royal Hospital, where they spent their first four months under specialist care and had a number of operations.
The brothers were born 16 weeks early and weighed three pounds between them.
Jack, born weighing 1lb 6½oz, is unable to hear and has problems doctors have found difficult to define. He attends the city’s Sunningdale School for children with special needs.
Miss Morgan added: “Thomas still does sign when he talks. His teachers are over the moon and he’s willing to do it and willing to learn. Jack is doing well and full of mischief. For his birthday treat we are taking him to the Alan Shearer Centre because he loves swimming and the ball pool.”
