She was so ill it was "touch and go for both of them for a while".

Thankfully, Rebecca and Katelyn both pulled through, but they would face another hurdle. At three months old, Katelyn was found to be profoundly deaf in both ears.

"We're unsure whether or not it's because of the medications I was given during that time in hospital. Katie has also been diagnosed with albinism," Rebecca said.

"Hearing loss is associated with albinism as well. It was a bit of a curveball."

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Katelyn is now five years old. She just started school, and her favourite part is show and tell. Katelyn is also quite cheeky for a five-year-old, she said going home after school is one of the best parts of school.

Katelyn has already faced and overcome more challenges than people decades older than her. She has gone through cochlear implant surgery, speech therapy and being raised in a world that will stare rather than educate.

Katelyn's first implant was at 10 months of age, and the second was in November 2017 at two years old.

"The support we have gotten has been absolutely incredible. Taralye, a Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children service, and the eye and ear hospital in Melbourne, everything has been amazing. They've really supported us and answered all the basic questions that we've had," Rebecca said.

"We were of the mindset that something can be done and she can live a normal, happy and fulfilled life."

When Katelyn was 10 months old and her implant was first switched on, Rebecca said it's not like the videos you see when it's all smiles and laughter, but it was still pretty impressive.

"She was playing with some toys, and they turned the cochlear on and she just stopped what she was doing. She was like 'oh, what's that?'"

Rebecca is looking forward to growing a deaf community in Horsham.

"There is a lady in Horsham, her son has a cochlear, so we're hoping this year we can catch up with them. He can give Katie a few pointers and his mum can give me some pointers and support as well," she said.

Katelyn's primary school, Horsham West, has also stepped up to ensure Katelyn's good school experience.

"They've applied for funding to help her to be included within class," Rebecca said.

"The teacher wears a mini-mic, which actually Bluetooth's directly to Katie's cochlear's.

"The school also have funding for a sound field system. So it's a speaker system that helps every child be able to hear the teacher properly, so everyone is a lot quieter, so Katie can hear a lot better."

Cochlear implants are sensitive - the rustling of leaves for the person with average hearing is just background noise - but for Katelyn, every noise comes through as the same volume.

"She has to decipher what's important to listen to and what's not. It takes quite a lot of concentration on her part and school's been quite tiring," Rebecca said.

Hearing Awareness Day is March 3 and calls for action to address hearing loss and ear diseases across the life course.

Rebecca said society could improve to be more aware of people with disabilities like Katelyn.

"Society has a one track mind. Especially during COVID, we found issues with the masks. Katie relies quite a lot on lip reading which was an obstacle we have had to work around," she said.

"For the most part, people are pretty understanding. People are interested; we spend a lot of time telling people about her cohlears.

"Kids are always going to be kids, but I think we have equipped her well enough to be able to cope."

Rebecca said when Katelyn gets self-conscious about people looking at her.

"We'll explain people are looking at you because they don't know what's on your head. She'll quite happily go over to people and tell them 'these are my ears, this is how I hear'," she said.

"We've explained to her it's just like how people wear glasses. They wear them to see properly, you have your cochlear's so you can hear."

Rebecca said Hearing Awareness Week is quite remarkable.

"Coming from a family who hasn't had anything to do with any hearing impairments, it's really good to be able to be an advocate for the deaf community and to be able to educate people about hearing as well," she said.

"It's been a very hard journey but very rewarding."

Five-year-old Katelyn will have a bright future with her mum, Rebecca, there by her side when things get tough.

"I just want her to be able to go and do whatever she wants to do in life. Whatever she chooses to do, to go and do it," Rebecca said.

"I want her to have the confidence to stand up to people and say 'yes, I'm different but that's good'."

New national First Voice research on hearing loss reveals that children born deaf in Australia can learn to hear, listen and speak just like a child with typical hearing.

About 94 per cent of Australians are unaware that this can be the reality, and 84 per cent don't know where to turn to for support if their child is born with or develops hearing loss.

Due to the family's remote location, Katelyn was one of the first clients at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children service and Victorian not-for-profit Taralye.

With Taralye, she received early intervention services and support via telepractice for her bilateral cochlear implants.

Katelyn was the first child to graduate from her speech therapy through Taralye through video sessions.

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