Their baby daughter Ava, who turns one on November 25, was born profoundly deaf. Ava received bilateral cochlear implants on October 13 and has responded well to the operation.

Ava’s mother Jade Klante said it has become increasingly difficult for her daughter to use hearing aids as she grows older.

“When she got bigger she would play with them. We tried putting caps over them but that seemed to make it worse,” she said.

“She tried to put them in her mouth when she wanted attention.”

Ava is gradually being introduced to hearing through a graduated volume program.

Currently her implants are set on 70 per cent, and the volume will be increased over time as she adjusts to it.

Jade says Ava is making more noise since the implants.

“There was three weeks of silence after the operation but now she’s saying mum and she’s talking a lot louder,” she said.

“She’s making lots of noises when she’s playing.”

Living in Wudinna has made it difficult to get to Adelaide to visit Ava’s hearing therapist, but luckily there is an organisation to help out.

The Klantes’ doctor, Dr Lewis, introduced them to Angel Flight, a charity where pilots donate their time and plane to fly patients to medical appointments.

Dr Lewis himself flew them to Adelaide for one appointment and another pilot flew them back.

This has saved the Klantes hundreds of dollars and lots of time as it’s only a one and half hour flight to Adelaide to Ava’s specialists, rather than a six hour drive.

The Klantes will visit Ava’s therapist in Adelaide next week so that the therapist can teach Jade what to teach Ava.

Medicare has picked up the cost of the Cochlear implants and they are fortunate to have family to stay with in Adelaide.

For Christmas they are having a big family get together. Jade’s sister and a couple of cousins had babies last year, so they will stay and play together at the family beach shack.

All the babies love each other and thanks to Ava’s implant, she is able to keep developing at the same rate as her friends and family so she will continue to grow up as a hearing child.

“We’re going to Venus Bay with my mum’s side of the family so hopefully the harvest will be finished in time,” Jade said.

“We’ll have four one-year-olds with us so that should be interesting.”