Last updated on August 30th, 2024 at 10:02 am
This is the beautiful moment a toddler who had become deaf broke into dance after regaining her hearing, as she was able to listen to the music of her favorite toys once more.
Having been fitted with cochlear implants, 18-month-old Emma Chadwell, whose hearing had previously degenerated so that she was profoundly deaf, turned on one of her favorite toys, which began to play music.
As the jingle played, Emma, with her pacifier in her mouth, rose to her feat and began to shake her hips to the beat – much to the delight of her parents, Kim, 32, and Jake, 32, from Saline, Michigan.
Reaching this joyous point on January 28 was an emotional journey for Kim and Jake.
Emma was born with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, but after a CT scan, it was revealed that the complications with her inner ear were far more severe.
Suffering from an inner ear abnormality named mondini dysplasia, as well as having enlarged vestibular aqueducts in both ear, Emma rapidly lost her ability to hear through her hearing aids.
As a result, Kim and Jake had a choice to make: whether or not to give Emma cochlear implants.
The family opted for the implants and surgery – and for three weeks leading up to the activation, Emma had no access to sound whatsoever
Having headed to their daughter’s activation appointed earlier in the day, Kim and Jake then return home with Emma.
It was there that she discovered her toys, whose noises she had not been able to hear for weeks prior.
Sometimes, cochlear implants require a settling in process for youngsters, but as soon as Emma activated the jingle on her toy – a moment her parents captured on video – it was clear that they were working just fine with her delight clear for all to see.
Speaking of the moment, Kim said: “It made us realize that we’ve made the right decision and this was the first day of a new chapter for all of us.
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“There would continue to be moments like this that other families might not think anything of but are huge accomplishments for us.
“We hope this can create more awareness and inclusion for people with hearing loss as well as any disability or challenge.
“For parents who’ve found out their child has hearing loss – every families decision is going to be different.
“For us, we felt cochlear implants were the best options for us.
“We’d suggest doing your research, figuring out what you’d like your child’s goals to be, and then decide what choice works best for them.”