Five-year-old Davy received vision and hearing screening at a Head Start early childhood center in Newport. Sight & Hearing Association (SHA) screeners found that Davy was able to hear all the tones in his right ear, but he could not hear anything in his left ear. Davy’s parents received a recommendation from SHA that they bring him in for further follow-up care with a hearing specialist, as soon as possible. Davy’s parents made an appointment for him to be examined by an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, throat physician) at HealthPartners Stillwater Medical Group. After a hearing testing was completed, it was confirmed that he was completely deaf in his left ear.

His parents and teachers were shocked, since Davy had no outward signs that he had a hearing loss. In fact, he had passed his hearing screening a year earlier. After further testing, doctors determined that the probable cause of Davy’s hearing loss was carbon monoxide in the home. Eight months earlier the water heater and furnace in his house emitted high levels of carbon monoxide, enough to deprive Davy of oxygen. Put under 48-hour surveillance, he had no adverse reactions — until four months later when SHA visited his school to conduct their annual screening. Davy is now undergoing neurological testing to ensure he suffered no other damage. “I thank the Lord so much for the people who screened Davy,” exclaimed his mother. “I can’t imagine what would have happened had he not had this screening, most likely, he would have problems in school and we would not know why. It is wonderful that someone found it.”