Benefit To Help Deaf Girl Hear Again

Benefit To Help Deaf Girl Hear Again

DES MOINES, Iowa --
A Des Moines woman is raising money for a deaf girl in hopes that she will one day hear music again.

Katanya Yingyoth had a cochlear implant to help her hear sounds. In August, she lost the small device that must be attached to the implant in order for it to work and now must use an older, barely functional one.

"She wants back the new one, the good one. She wants a new one," said Paeng Yingyoth. "But I don't have the money to buy it for her."

Katanya's first device was covered by Medicaid and insurance, but when Gov. Chet Culver cut the state's budget late last year, he cut her chance to buy a replacement.

"The state would possibly help a family like this, at least with a portion or maybe the whole thing, but there was a budget cut and they're left to pay for it themselves," said Trina Ives.

Ives has a son who is deaf and goes to Katanya's school. When she heard about the family's struggle to get a new device, she said she wanted to help.

"They're left to buy it themselves. It's $9,000 and they don't have it laying around. None of us do," Ives said. "With a brand new one, she would hear everything. She lives in complete silence right now."

Trina has enlisted help from businesses across to metro to help raise money for the Yingyoth family.

"What better way to help her than have a concert to raise the money so she can hear," Ives said. She said she hopes to raise $9,000 to cover the device and the warranty.

Four local bands will perform at the benefit on Sunday at Miss Kitty's in Clive. The doors open at 1 p.m. and the concert is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and all the proceeds with go to the Katanya Yingyoth Fund.