The eighth nerve

Nothing is coming,” Aaftab said in broken English, tapping on his ear and shaking his hand to denote his loss of hearing. Fluent only in Arabic, he had travelled from Oman because he had been told that his tumour was too big and in a precarious location, and that there was a significant risk to life.

- Dr MAZDA TUREL

Just short of his 25th birthday, his parents weren't willing to take a chance, and that’s how he came to be sitting in my office. “Any ringing in the ears?” I asked his dad to translate. He nodded. He also demonstrated some imbalance while walking as I instructed him to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line.