Deaf Baby Girl Hears Her Mama Say 'I Love You' for Very First Time
Christy Keane and her husband were in love with their baby Charlotte as soon as she entered the world. She was the couple’s second daughter, and they were excited to welcome her to the family.
The problems started occurring when Charlotte was only a couple months old. She wasn’t responding to sounds or verbal cues the way babies should.
The Keanes brought Charlotte to the doctor, and were told the news. Charlotte was deaf, and the doctor was unsure if she’d ever be able to hear.
Hearing aids and implants work for some deaf children, but Charlotte’s case wasn’t a sure thing. The doctor ordered the devices, but told Christy to temper her expectations.
The news was devastating for Christy. She knew she’d be able to handle a deaf child, but she was agonized by the thought that her daughter was unable to hear her parents tell her how much they loved her.
When the hearing aids came, Christy put them in her daughter’s ears. She didn’t expect them to work, so she was astonished by the immediate reaction on the face of Charlotte.
Her husband pulled out his phone and started recording. The video was posted on Instagram and YouTube, and it took the internet by storm.
As soon as Christy says “hello,” a smile creeps across her daughter’s lips. The smile is immediately followed by a face that could only mean little Charlotte is choking back tears.
Christy continued to speak to her daughter, who was able to hear her for the very first time. It even looked like Charlotte was trying to respond to what her mother was telling her.
Towards the end, Christy told Charlotte that she loves her. At this, Charlotte raised her eyebrows and visibly swallowed the lump developing in her throat.
The emotional bond between a mother and child was perfectly captured here. The hearing aids will help Charlotte’s language skills develop, but more importantly they allowed her to hear the most important words in the English language: “I love you.”
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