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Show 14 Vernal Express Wednesday, December 8, 1999 o -1 T"T"-'C' Dmplamii cfoamiges little girl's life By Carol Jewart Express Writer Pay ton Slaugh was diagnosed with Phytomeglovirus (PMV) at the age of two weeks and by the time she was nine months old her communication skills were not that of a normal child. Her parents, Trent and Julie Slaugh, decided signing was the solution to their daughters deaf, silent world. "Deaf kids learn just like hearing kids do," said Julie. "By repetition and consistency." consis-tency." Payton lived in a silent world until Julie and Trent had the opportunity to have her tested for a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant is a device that restores some level of hearing to severe-to profoundly deaf adults and children who derive no benefits from hearing aids. The cochlear implant is surgically implanted underneath the skin behind the ear with stimulating arrays consisting con-sisting of a single channel or a multichannel electrodes placed near or within the cochlea. The operation was costly, but as the plight of this small girl spread throughout Vernal, donations poured in from numerous service projects and organizations. In a few years $30,000 was finally available for the surgery, which took place in May of 1998. "Since hearing her first sounds, Payton has made rapid progress," said Kathy Johnson, who had been Payton's teacher for many years. "Payton has never had'the ability abil-ity to hear anything, even hearing aids didn't did-n't really help her. But since day one, with the cochlear implant, Payton has been able to hear. You knew right away that she could hear because she would point to her ears and smile. She has made so much progress since then and functions so well with her first grade class." When Payton began the first grade she was provided with an aid, Stephanie Ross, who would sign and help her to pronounce words and understand their meanings. "I was very fortunate to have opportunity to work with Payton," said Ross. "I dare say she has taught me a lot more than I will ever be able to teach her. "It makes me smile, because everytime I goof up on a sign, she just gives me a funny look and shows me the sign I just did, shakes her head 'no,' then does the correct sign while nodding 'yes.' My favorite is when she takes my hands and helps me do the sign. "For the first little while, I used a lot of sign, until I realized she didn't need, or want it. It wasn't hard for me to see that she really wanted to just listen and talk. She is working very hard at both." Before the implant, her mother said Payton babbled a lot of baby talk but spoke no true words. Payton knew that people around her could talk, so she tried to talk. "Payton has changed so much since the implant. She uses very little sign now," said Johnson. "The only signs we use with her are the ones Payton already knows, to make sure she understands what's going on in class. Most of the time when we talk to her in the class, it's oral, without the sign." Payton gets very upset when she can't Deck the halls with boughs of dollies The Western Heritage Museum is having a doll show for the month of December. "'My Christmas Doll' is the name o he event," said Janis Bigelow, museum doctor. doc-tor. "Who doesn't remember the dolls they received as a little girl, especially the ones we got for Christmas?" said Bigelf w. "I hope who would like to share a doll they got for Christmas will bring it to visit the museum for the holidays. Originally I planned to do a doll show around Rhoda Rhoda Deved and Janis Bigelow set up Museum. - . - I I , f . i . Payton puts on her coclear implant device. First grade teacher at Davis Elementary, Mrs. Sheffer, holds the microphone for Payton when she was 'Queen for a Day.' hear. There's been a few times at school-when school-when the implant's word processor, which runs off double AA batteries, gets low and T- - A r Payton Slaugh and Stephani Ross share DeVed's dolls, but as we talked about it. but we thought it would be a fun to display dolls at Christmas time. Rhoda came up with the idea of just displaying the ones that were received as Christmas gifts. "We would have had many cases of dolls to display if Rhoda had brought her whole collection down. But this way we think it will bring a little more meaning to Christmas and the holiday season." . DeVed saved every doll her daughter, 1 "-c i v a S Vr ' T,. -J! - , the doll display at the Western Heritage '- i r i' - - ' J Elizabeth Sheffer pushes Payton on the swing at the Davis Elementary school-ground. she gets upset because she can't hear. "I can hear now," said Payton. "I feel fine." a sign of love. Kathy, had as a child and that's how she become a doll collector. Almost all her dolls were Madam Alexander dolls. "What I especially appreciated about Madam Alexander dolls is that they were all made in America," DeVed explained. DeVed pointed out a doll that belonged to her mother (Pauline Stonefifer Thome) as a child She is wearing clothes Pauline's' grandmother made for her. "The doll is probably a hundred years old," said DeVed. "It has the original body made of Kidd leather, but the head was broken bro-ken and was replaced. If mother were still living today she would be 108 years old." Also on display is a doll given to DeVed by a dear friend, Helen Banks, who passed away last April at the age of 89. She sits in the glass case are two other dolls. One was given to DeVed's daughter and the other to DeVed when they were children. A very old baby doll dressed in red stands at the end of the show case. She belongs to Tammy Massey. Several antique dolls are at home sitting around a Victorian Christmas tree.Vintage and antique doll props such as old doll chairs, doll buggies, rocking horses and doll-size sleds, add to the decor. The dolls have been arranged in display cases as well as around Christmas trees decorated dec-orated with miniature dolls. Also included are some unusual doll furniture fur-niture including a small handmade doll bed from the turn of the century, belonging to The kids at school are very good at helping help-ing Payton. Some of them want her to sign to them but she says, "no!" She just wants to talk to them. "Payton never gets discouraged," says Ross. "We just make each other laugh about discouraging things. She is so cheerful. cheer-ful. To be honest, I have come to school, discouraged with other things going on and just being around her and her cheerful attitude, atti-tude, picks me right up. I love it! It's a quick, natural high and I'm lucky enough to get a dose of it five days a week." Mrs. Sheffer, Payton's teacher, makes all her students feel special. At the beginning of school she made every student in her class a king or queen for a day. This gave all the students, including Payton, an opportunity oppor-tunity to get up in front of class and to talk and answer questions the other students asked. "I just want everyone to know how happy she is to be able to hear," said Julie. "I wanted to update the community on her progress and let them know how grateful we are that Payton is able to function so well." "I w ish every deaf child in our area could have a cochlear implant and make the amazing progress Payton has," said Johnson. :'" I f1 . ' I ' .: '1 .' II,,' " a8.i.,.J I Leather doll was given to Rhoda DeVed's mother. Glenda Landon. A Tiny Tears doll lays in a rocking cradle, constructed by Nina Caldwell's father. Earl Stoner. He made her the cradle for Christmas around 1925 when she was a little lit-tle girl. A doll size table, complete with antique doll china, sits in a comer of the showroom and an antique doll rocking chair from around the 1927 era, which belongs to Ethel Bowthorp, sits behind the tree,. A baby buggy belonging to Mike Merrill, owner of Jiffy Pawn, is on display. In it is the antique doll given to him one year for Christmas by his wife to fill the buggy. Calendar of Events December 9 Dinaland Snowmobile Club meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. at LALA's Fiesta Restaurant, 550 E. Main. Public Welcome. December 10 A community dance will be held at the, 150 W. 190 S. from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. All ages are welcome to come and dance. A craft fair will be held at the Sather's Building from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, pictures with Santa will be taken and on Saturday the fair will begin at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 789-2992. The Uintah Community Orchestra. Uintah Jazz? Ensemble and Uintah Community Band will perform free to the public at the Vernal Middle School beginning at 7:30 p.m. December 11 The First Baptist Church, 2100 W. Highway 40, will provide an opportunity opportuni-ty for moms to leave thier children to do Christmas shopping. Children must be out of diapers and may be up to age twelve. For more information call 789-1347. 789-1347. December 12 Handel's "Messiah" will be presented present-ed by the Uintah Community Chorale in the Ashley Stake Center at 6 p.m. The public is invited to this Christmas oratorio. orato-rio. The choir, soloists and guest organist organ-ist Kevin Walker will be featured. No admission charge. December 13 Golden Age Center Christmas Light tour will be held at 5 p.m. with a chili supper to follow. Call for reservations 789-2169. December 15 Single's temple night will be held for LDS single adults.over 31. Meet in the chapel for the 6:3b session, then in the temple waiting room after the session ses-sion for fellowship at 8 p.m. December 17 Dina Dancers will hold dance lessons at the Vernal Middle School cafeteria from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information call Glen or Shona Bowden at 789-2854. December 23 A Christmas Brunch will be held for seniors at the Golden Age Center from 10 a. m. to 1 1 a.m.. Call for reservations, 789-2169. Decembeer25 Have a safe and Merry Christmas To place items of public interest on the Community Calendar mail to Vemal Express, P.O. Box 1000, E-mail, edi-torvemal.com edi-torvemal.com or call the Vernal Express at 789-351 1. Materials are subject sub-ject to edit Deadline is Monday at 12 noon. Rhoda DeVed's niece made a little Amish doll with no face. "My niece made me this doll with no face," said DeVed of an old antique doll, "It seems the Amish people take the Bible very literally when it says 'they shall make no graven images.' they think as long as the doll has no face it's Ok." Also on display are several Barbie's, three that Rhoda' s husband gave her for Christmas. "These barbie dolls all came from the movie 'My Fair Lady' which is a favorite show of mine," explained Deved. "I'm just missing the one wearing the pink gown. 1 hope he finds that one, but even if he doesn't I'm going to find it and get it for myself." 1 Poor |