WCH cochlear implant bungle: Taylor Swift was first song little Gracie heard after seven years of silence

The first song eight-year-old Gracie ever heard was Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ after a horror medical bungle left her deaf for the first seven years of her life.

Hearing Taylor Swift live in concert means more than anyone could imagine to eight-year-old Gracie Vandenberg who spent the first seven years of her life unable to hear after she was a victim of the Women’s and Children’s cochlear implant scandal.

The first song she heard after her implants were finally rectified almost seven years after they were incorrectly programmed was Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’.

Now Little Allied Health, the centre responsible for rectifying Gracie’s implants, is calling on anyone that can make Gracie’s dream a reality – to hear her favourite artist live at The Eras Tour.

The first song Gracie Vandenberg ever hear was Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’. Picture: Brett Hartwig

She is hoping to attend the Eras concert in either Sydney or Melbourne. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Diagnosed with progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at birth, Gracie underwent surgery for cochlear implants when she was 20 months old.

But in 2023 it was discovered her devices had been programmed so she did not have access to sound needed to learn to listen and speak.

Thanks to Little Allied Health chief executive Nicole Eglinton, significant adjustments were able to be made to the cochlear devices and Gracie was finally able to hear.

After the first appointment Gracie’s mum, Jennifer Faggotter, turned up the radio and Gracie could hear the music.

“I watched with tears in my eyes as she happily danced with a giant smile on her face,” the 38-year-old said.

The song was ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ by Swift.

Ms Faggotter said her daughter signs that Swift is her friend whenever she hears her.

“She truly feels that Taylor is her friend that she will see one day,” the Victor Harbor mum said.

“Since Gracie’s implants have been reprogrammed, it has been a very emotional rollercoaster.

“She is still very far behind compared to her peers but making progress each day.

“We love that she is making progress but still in disbelief that she should have been hearing at 20 months old.

“We were told the cochlear implants were the best decision to help her thrive in a world made for hearing people, only to have the opposite happen.

“We are still very hurt as parents, we struggle with the emotion at times.”

Little Allied Health, the centre responsible for rectifying Gracie’s implants, is calling on anyone that can make Gracie’s dream a reality – to hear her favourite artist live at The Eras Tour. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Ms Eglinton said Gracie took each adjustment to her implants in her stride.

“She clearly wanted to hear and would smile from ear to ear after each session,” she said.

“The team at Little Allied Health would receive messages from Gracie’s family on her progress following adjustments.

“Our favourite message was after one of Gracie’s first appointments where she heard music in the car for the first time.”

If Gracie could say anything to Swift it would be to tell her she loves her, her mum said.

“If I could it would be ‘thank you for helping bring my little girl so much joy and happiness through your music’,” Ms Faggotter said.

Gracie was one of at least 30 children to have their implants wrongly programmed, potentially causing developmental delays.

These families each received a one-off $50,000 payment from the state government which does not affect their compensation rights.