Watch The Touching Moment Of When A Deaf Baby Hears For The First Time

21 Apr 2011: I wanted to share with you a video of something that I find very beautiful, having posted it on my Facebook page yesterday, it got quite a passionate reaction from a lot of my readers.... Most thought it was beautiful, some controversial...

The video is of 8 month old Jonathon, who was born deaf. His parents decided to do what most parents these days would do, they opted for him to receive sugery for cochlear implants, to allow him to hear.

This operation is not without it's risks, as with any surgery. It doesn't work on anyone and sometimes, parents just have to weigh out the good, with the bad when making such a decision for their children.

Thankfully, Jonathon's surgery was successful. This video was filmed by his father. Jonathon is sitting on his mothers lap, while his doctor activates the implant for the first time, allowing Jonathon to hear. Watch his reaction as he hears his mothers voice for the first time in his short life.

Watch the short clip for yourself and tell me that this surgery won't cause joy and happiness for this entire family! I just don't know how the mother and father managed to keep themselves together in such a beautiful moment... Judge for youself, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I know it put a smile on my face! www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzTt1VnHRM

Here is a list of pros and cons to cochlear implant surgery, from someone who has successfully received the operation:

Pros

*More independence and less reliance on others
*Safety concerns with my child
*Being able to enjoy my child's accomplishments e.g. music, school play etc
*I love sounds
*Good chance of relief for my raging 24/7 tinnitus (sounds like Boeing 747)
*Possibility of being able to use phone means greater flexibility in my work
*If I grow old and lose my sight I have hearing to help me.

Cons

*Dependence on audiologist for mappings etc
*While there is a good chance of success there is no guarantee it will work
*Usual risks of anaesthetic/surgery
*Small possibility of device failure but they usually test device during surgery
*Possibility that other deaf people will have ambivilent feelings about me

Cochlear Implant