To hear, to speak: A father posts his poignant tale

Chatchat explained that, when his son was born in 2000, everything about him seemed normal, but by the time he was up and toddling around, it became apparent that he wasn’t reacting when his name was called. Clinical tests revealed that the boy was deaf.
Chatchat said it felt like his world had turned upside down. Fretting about his son’s future, he at first was in denial – surely the diagnosis was wrong. But then a doctor elsewhere confirmed it. Chatchat tried praying at the temple, playing loud music while the youngster was sleeping – nothing worked.
Reading up on the causes and characteristics of deafness, he discovered the only solution in his son’s case was cochlear implant surgery, but at the time no Thai surgeon had had any success with the delicate operation, and in fact some patients had been left unable to speak as well.
In Australia they’d had much better success, so that’s where the family went. Chatchat, then a lecturer earning only a modest salary, was able to get a research grant from the Australian government that covered the cost of the operation, which took place in December 2002.
Worryingly, after the surgery the boy didn’t appear able to talk, but six months later he began speaking again. Chatchat decided his son would be better off speaking English, since the tonal demands of Thai might be asking too much. Back in Thailand he enrolled the boy in an international school.
Chatchat says his son is now 15, fluent in English and conversant in Thai and more than able to communicate with his friends. He says being the father of a “special child” has made him more focused in his own work – and conscientious about his own health, because he wants to share a long life with his son.
Chatchat’s prayers once went unanswered, but he still prays, and when he does, he never asks that his son be “the best student” or anything like that. He just hopes that the boy always gets along well with people and has a happy life.

Play on, “CD”!

Child actor Kritnai “CD” Laohaprasart, best known as the chubby boy who Tukkae bites in the movie “Tukkae Rak Paeng Mak” (“Chiang Khan Story”), has just had his own medical scare.
Diagnosed with a rare disorder called Moyamoya disease, he underwent surgery at Ramathibodi Hospital on Wednesday and is reportedly recovering well in ICU.
The disease, first identified in Japan, takes the Japanese word for “puff of smoke”, an allusion to the way tiny blood vessels look when they tangle up in a bid to compensate for a blockage.
CD’s parents at first thought he was suffering from the effects of obesity. His memory, speech and sensory and cognitive functions were impaired, much as in a stroke – which is often a symptom of Moyamoya in children.
CD was apparently most concerned that, when he woke up from the anaesthetics, he’d be unable to remember who his parents were because of the disease, but the doctor says he’s responding better than expected. Let’s hope he bounces back fast and gives us more laughs on the screen.