Running for a cause
In September 2020, Cynthia McLarty commemorated her 50th birthday by running 50km and raising over $7500 towards the Bionics Institute’s infant hearing research.
Cynthia is a long-time supporter of the Bionics Institute and has often volunteered her time. Cynthia’s son Sam was born profoundly deaf and, at 9 months old, became one of the youngest children in Victoria to receive a cochlear implant.
‘Sam caught up with other kids and was speaking normally by the age of 4 with the help of his cochlear implant,’ said Cynthia. ‘We tell other parents that we don’t regret it – it was the best thing for Sam. We are so grateful to the Bionics Institute for enabling Sam to talk and live a full, normal life.’
The funds raised by Cynthia have supported the development of EarGenie™, a new hearing test for babies with hearing loss. EarGenie will enable clinicians to select the right treatment as early as possible, giving these children the best chance to hear different sounds and learn to talk. Cynthia’s original goal was to run from her home all the way to Mornington.
However, due to strict COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Cynthia ran the whole distance over 2 days in a circuit that kept her within just 5km of her home.
The Bionics Institute greatly appreciates the incredible support from Cynthia and all those who give their time and energy to support our life-changing research.
