Nurse Shocked By Cause Of 11-Year-Old’s Hearing Problem

A public health nurse in New Zealand was shocked to find out what was causing an 11-year-old boy’s hearing problems.

Etua Raki was struggling at school and a hearing test determined that his hearing was failing. His mother, Tania, immediately took him to a mobile clinic to have his ears examined. The mobile clinic had just opened to allow children to receive healthcare in a timely manner.

“He had failed the hearing test and I saw the mobile clinic was up the road so I took all four of my children to get checked,” Tania told Stuff.co.nz.

When a public health nurse at the clinic examined Etua’s ears, she found something shocking – he had a lego and a battery lodged inside his ear.

According to Stuff.co.nz, the objects had likely been in Etua’s ears for several years. The pieces were removed from his ears and Etua soon returned to full hearing capacity.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I couldn’t have gone to the clinic,” the mother said.

Though the pieces have been removed, Etua has a long recovery ahead of him. The objects have caused severe damage to the 11-year-old’s ears and he will have to undergo tests, treatment, and possibly surgery, to treat the damage.

Sources: Stuff.co.nz, AWM / Photo Credit: Jackson Thomas/Stuff.co.nz