Deaf Ten Months Old Baby Hears Her Mother's 'I Love You' For The First Time

The parents of a baby girl born completely deaf have celebrated her being able to hear for the first time.

Ten-month-old Addison Elander from Louisville, Kentucky, had cochlear implants - small electrical devices - inserted into her ear canals by specialists earlier this week.

Local news station WHAS-TV filmed her when they were activated on Tuesday, with the initial reaction being one of tears as the sudden sensation of sound hit little Addison.

'Addison, I love you,' the infant's mother, Akilah, said in a bid to soothe her.

And the 'magic words' worked, as suddenly Addison's sobs turned into big smile.

That was the first time she had heard her mother's voice.

'It means a lot for her to be able to hear it even though she might not know what it means,' an emotional Mrs Elander said.

Audiological specialists fitted a microphone and speech processor to the outside of Addisons's ears.

These pick up sounds in the environment and connect with internal implants, which then send electrical signals to the brain.

Cochlear implants - which take up to three hours to insert under local anesthetic - cannot cure deafness but they help Addison and children like her experience sound.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), cochlear implants are usually recommended for children aged 12 months or older.

However, Addison's parents wanted to get the procedure done as soon as possible so she would have a 'fair shake at life'.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as of December 2012, approximately 324,200 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. 

In the U.S, roughly 58,000 adults and 38,000 children have received them.

It's estimated that two to three of every 1,000 children are born deaf or hard-of-hearing across the country, and more lose their hearing later during childhood.

Mrs Elander and her husband Brad hope Addison's story will help raise awareness about the different communication options available.

Source DM