SALINE, Mich. (WXYZ) — It’s a viral video of a 17-month-old girl able to hear again after being born with mild to moderate hearing loss.
"Nothing’s changing. She has hearing loss, so that was a pretty big bomb," said Kim Chadwell, Emma's.
Two months after little Emma Chadwell was born, doctors determined she was losing her hearing at a fast rate. They gave Emma hearing aids, but her hearing didn’t improve.
RELATED: VIDEO: 17-month-old baby from Saline busts a move after being able to hear for the first time
"We found out she has something called Mondini Dysplasia as well as EVA, when you have both of those things (it's) likely you become deaf," Kim said.
Doctors told Kim that Emma would eventually lose all her hearing. Kim took the news hard.
Tonight we are in @CityofSaline talking to the family of a little girl who received @CochlearImplant. What the girls parents are saying about the technology and their daughter hearing again at 10 @tv20detroit 11 @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/cxsNZRQwKU
— ALAN CAMPBELL (@AlanCampbellTV) February 7, 2020
"I had a hard time really coming to terms with that and just being upset a lot; crying a lot," she said.
Wanting to give Emma the best chance for developing speech and language skills, her parents decided to go with cochlear Implants.
"We wanted her to have as many opportunities as possible, which meant cochlear implants," Kim said. "So now, she’s just more engaged in her toys as you can see with the train. So she’s done really well with it."
Once the procedure was over, Emma could once again hear. The Chadwells believe this technology will open many doors for Emma in her future. Emma would agree, too.
"We’re thankful that she now has access to sound and we’re excited about her journey going forward," Kim said.
Emma’s cochlear implants were activated on Jan. 28 of this year, a day her parents call her hearing birthday. Emma's parents say they're so excited to see her progress and promise to keep 7 Action News updated.
