Anna Esler of Fort Worth, Texas, says that she was overwhelmed with thankfulness upon seeing her deaf daughter hear for the first time, she cried. A video of that moment has since gone viral.
Overwhelming Joy
In the video, Anna and her husband Will are at the doctor's clinic with their 1-year-old daughter Ayla and their two other children. The family awaits the result of Ayla's cochlear implants. Surgeon Kristen Honsinger, M.D., from Cook Children's Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic activated them for the first time and the young girl responds with glee.
As the video continues, viewers can see Anna sob while Ayla continues to respond positively to her implants. She moves around and touches her right ear. Will also wipes a tear upon seeing his child hear for the first time.
The clip has since gone viral after Cook Children's Health Care System shared the clip on its YouTube page on June 22. As of this writing, the video has 94, 203 views, with people sharing their happiness for the family.
"What a beautiful girl and a beautiful moment. God bless Ayla and may she live the most fulfilling and happy life possible," one user wrote.
"This is just awesome,' another commented.
First Sound
In an interview, the parents talked about their initial thoughts when Ayla's implants were activated. Anna admitted that she still had doubts that the implants would work. However, she was overwhelmed with happiness when she saw her daughter respond to the sound.
"I was overwhelmed by thankfulness to God and to everyone else who has been a part of this journey," Anna said.
Will said he was excited, scared, and nervous, but at the same time, hopeful that Ayla's implants would work. He said it was just incredible to see her daughter react to the sound.
The parents said that Ayla still has a lot of adjustments to do with her activated cochlear implants. She cried and screamed when the sound became overwhelming. However, she is learning to tune in to sound. She even dances to music and calms down when her parents sing to her when she is upset.
"She still has challenges ahead of her-we have a year's worth of catch up to play, and whereas most kids learn to hear naturally we will actually have to teach her to hear, to teach her that sound has meaning," the parents said.
