A cochlear implant recipient, deaf since birth, had her first experience hearing her family captured on video. Now it’s going viral.
Cochlear implants have given more than 219,000 people worldwide who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing the ability to hear as of December 2010.
Sarah Churman shared her first hearing experience with the Internet after she posted a video following her cochlear implants in 2011, and now thousands are watching 26-year-old Amy’s reaction after hearing the voices of her family for the first time.
The video was posted by her aunt Catherine Arnold in September but has recently gained traction online.
“Our niece has been deaf since she was born,” Arnold wrote in the description. “She has never heard the sound of her parents voice or her 6-year-old son, Blake.”
Amy is emotional as the technician tests the implant and observes that she can feel sound as well as hear it.
“It’s weird,” Amy said and signed after she was asked if she heard the technician’s voice.She found herself at a loss for words as she was asked to describe what she was experiencing.
Blake chimed in and repeated “Hi, Mommy!” so that she could hear it.
Arnold, overwhelmed by the support for her niece, noted that Amy, who has a high school diploma and college degree, is working hard to improve herself every day.
“[T]hank you to everyone that appreciates and feels what a beautiful time this was and continues to be for Amy and our families,” Arnold wrote. “She is continuing her hard work of speech and sound therapy to distinguish what sound is. Her pronunciation has improved vastly and she can hear words and especially music!”
H/T Gawker | Photo via Catherine Arnold/YouTube
