When Silence Finds a Voice

One evening, just before bedtime, Damian said to his mother,

“Mom, I can hear myself breathing. I can hear you breathing too.”

Victoria stayed silent for a few seconds. For the first time, it was no longer just hope. It was real. Her son was discovering sounds, relationships, and the world around him.

At one and a half years old, Damian was diagnosed with severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, meaning a significant loss of hearing in both ears. For the family, the news came with deep uncertainty and many questions about the future.

“When I gave birth to him in 2021, newborn hearing screening was not mandatory, and Damian did not receive this service at birth. I felt that every day without intervention meant a lost opportunity for him to hear and to speak,” Victoria Filot recalls.

Initially, Damian was fitted with hearing aids, but they were unable to compensate for his severe hearing loss, and his language development was delayed. Doctors recommended cochlear implant surgery.

At two years and two months, Damian received his first implant. A difficult period of adjustment followed. “At first, he would just go still. Every sound was new and overwhelming. We had to learn together, step by step, how to turn them into something familiar and safe.”

At the age of three years and ten months, Damian received his second cochlear implant, which helped him hear more clearly, even in noisy environments. He is among the first children in the Republic of Moldova to have benefited from this opportunity free of charge.

To access specialized services, Damian’s parents made the decision to move from Edineț to Chișinău. In Edineț, they had the support of their extended family, grandparents and relatives who helped them. The move meant not only changing cities, but also leaving behind that sense of security.

The Journey Toward Words

Victoria says that beyond the medical treatment, the hardest part was access to information.

“Many parents don’t know what options exist or what needs to be done after cochlear implantation. The device alone is not enough. Hearing recovery must be accompanied by language development. It requires daily practice, patience, and the involvement of the entire family, because auditory-verbal rehabilitation is a complex process, especially when intervention begins later.”

Determined to help Damian, Victoria began searching for answers. She attended trainings, spoke with specialists, and spent countless hours studying rehabilitation methods.

Over time, that search reshaped her professional path. She left behind the world of numbers and accounting for one centered on words and communication. She pursued psycho-pedagogical retraining, including a master’s degree in speech therapy, and eventually qualified as a speech therapist.

Today, she continues to support Damian, and she also works in a kindergarten in Chișinău, where she helps other children with speech difficulties.

“There were moments when I was afraid he would never speak,” Victoria says. “But today, at five years old, Damian expresses himself at an age-appropriate level and has overcome his speech delay.”

An essential source of support in Damian’s journey was therapy at the Public Association of People with Hearing Impairments “AUD ȘI VORBESC.” He came here immediately after his implantation, at a time when his expressive language was almost non-existent.

Elena Cupceanu, the founder of the association, recalls:

“We began an auditory-verbal therapy programme, with two sessions per week. In parallel, his parents continued the intervention at home. Within a relatively short period, the first auditory responses appeared, followed by the first consciously spoken words. His progress confirms that early, structured intervention — supported by the family — can change a child’s developmental trajectory.”

Inclusive Education Makes the Difference

His integration into kindergarten happened naturally. On the first day, his classmates were curious and asked many questions about the implant.

“I explained what it is and how important it is for Damian,” the kindergarten teacher says. “At first, he needed help taking the device off and putting it into its case. Now he manages on his own. He is active, curious, and interacts easily with the other children.”

For Victoria, Damian’s progress is not just about recovery. It is about the freedom to dream.

“I hope that when he grows up, nothing will limit him. That he will be able to choose any profession, any field of study, any future. That he will have the same opportunities as all children and, above all, that he will be happy.”

Every Child Deserves the Chance to Say “I Can Hear.”

Damian is not an isolated case. According to data provided by the National Agency for Public Health, in 2022 in the Republic of Moldova, reduced hearing acuity was identified in approximately 2.4 out of every 1,000 children aged 0 to 17 who were examined. Among children aged 2–3, the rate is around 1.8 per 1,000, but it increases significantly to 3.3 per 1,000 among those aged 6–7, underscoring the importance of early detection and timely intervention.

In recent years, the Republic of Moldova has made important progress in this field. Since 2024, every newborn benefits from free universal hearing screening, offering the chance for rapid diagnosis and early intervention. With financial support from the Government of Japan, UNICEF has equipped perinatal centres across the country with 40 modern screening devices, ensuring that more children can receive the help they need from their very first days of life.

Integration, however, does not stop at diagnosis and treatment. For children with hearing impairments, teachers play a crucial role in their educational journey. Through the programme “Advancing Quality Education and Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All,” with the support of the European Union, UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research and the “AUD ȘI VORBESC” Association, has developed a teacher training methodology focused on the inclusion of children with cochlear implants and hearing difficulties. Over 200 teachers are being trained to adapt the educational process and create more inclusive learning environments. Within these trainings, Victoria contributes both as a speech therapist and as a parent, offering a practical perspective on the real needs of children with hearing impairments.

In 2025, 53 children benefited from audiograms and hearing aids provided free of charge by UNICEF, with the support of the Global Partnership for Education.

On World Hearing Day, Damian’s story — and these broader efforts — remind us that early detection and timely intervention can change the course of a child’s life. Behind every statistic is a family searching for support and a community that can make a difference. When systems function and help arrives on time, more and more children can say, for the first time: 

“I can hear.”