Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation

Christian was eighteen months old when his mother, Rosa, realized he didn’t react to loud sounds. She visited several professionals, all who told her nothing was wrong. Several months went by and Rosa became increasingly concerned. By chance, her husband, Valentino, met someone whose child had gone to John Tracy Clinic, and he gave Valentino the Clinic’s phone number. Rosa called and came in for a free audiological evaluation where she was carefully told the shocking news: Christian was profoundly deaf. Immediately, Rosa and Valentino enrolled him in the Clinic’s Parent/Infant Program and soon after, Christian received his first pair of hearing aids. When the hearing aids didn’t work, Christian’s parents decided that they wanted him to have a cochlear implant. In a matter of weeks after the implant, Christian uttered his first word: “Papa.” Rosa and Valentino were ecstatic. “Mama,” “open,” “apple” and many other words followed. Slow and steady progress in the Clinic’s Preschool Program, and hard work by Rosa and Valentino, have paid off. Christian now talks on the phone with his aunts and uncles, enjoys music, watches TV and plays games like other children his age. This year, at age five, Christian will graduate from John Tracy Clinic Preschool. His parents hope to place him in a mainstream elementary school in the fall.

John Tracy Clinic, a pioneer organization in the field of deaf education, has offered hope, guidance and encouragement to deaf and hard-of-hearing preschool age children and their families for almost 60 years. As hearing loss is identified at significantly younger ages, greater numbers of parents are enrolling in the Clinic’s free auditory/oral programs to take advantage of their children’s increased capacity to learn spoken language. The Parent/Infant Program includes Demonstration Home, Parent Education and Support Groups and Friday Family School. Through this and other programs parents gain information to understand their children’s hearing loss and to make decisions about education and the future. Carrie Estelle Doheny became interested in John Tracy Clinic in its first year of operation. In 1949 the Foundation began supporting the Clinic. Over the years, the Foundation has supported many of the Clinic programs, including the Parent/Infant Program in recent years. This year the Foundation pledged $100,000 to a capital campaign designed to expand the Clinic’s capacity to meet the needs of the growing number of families with children identified with hearing losses.