The Gift of Hearing

"3 out of 1,000 children each year are born with hearing loss" 

This fact is according to NIH. How would you get around if you have never heard the sound of music, or even your own mother's loving voice. Imagine living in a society where hearing is so important, yet you are unable to hear the joyous sounds of the day.  Being born deaf is a difficult thing to experience, however science has provided us with the opportunity to fix that. There are so many remedies to improve or even fix hearing loss. 

There are a variety of treatments to improve the situation. There is your usual hearing aids and there are ones that connect to FM transmitters. However, sometimes implants are needed. Some people get cochlear implants or even brain stem implants. 

Grayson Clamp 

In the video below, watch how a young boy Grayson hears his father's voice for the first time. His reaction was truly priceless, as he was awestruck and caught in the moment. Grayson received a brain stem implant because he was born without any auditory nerves, that would carry sound to the brain. In his most recent video update given to CBS, he is now able to enunciate and say words. Grayson is one of the first children to have these types of transplants. 

You can just watch the first thirty seconds of the video:

Deaf Boy Grayson Clamp, Hears for the First Time

It truly is amazing what science can do, and it can only get better. The children are now able to hear the sweet sounds of their mother's voice. They can also learn as well as the other students. Additionally, these videos are really uplifting because of their reactions when they first hear sound. More and more procedures are starting to be used on children. With this, they wouldn't be as behind compared to normal people; the sooner they are treated, the less their learning is impeded. Science is truly amazing and a real life changer for individuals. 

Here is one more video of a young child hearing for the first time and their reaction: 

Two Year Old Cooper Hears for the First Time

Sources: CBS, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cooper Hears, Grayson Hears