Every mother hopes and prays for their child to be born 100% healthy, with nothing standing in their way of living their fullest and best life.
When a mom finds out that their baby has a disability, it has to be a tough blow. How will she be able to make sure that her child has the very best when she’s never been through this hurdle herself?
With modern medicine, disabilities that used to be life-changing are now more of an inconvenience.
When little Charlotte, or Charly for short, was born with a huge hearing deficiency, her Mom Christy Keane was entirely taken aback. Getting the news that her child was going to have an extra mountain to climb was not an easy piece of news to take in.
However, Mom didn’t find out right away.
At birth, Charly was given the normal hearing screening and failed both ears. The nurses and doctors said that this wasn’t uncommon, and assured Christy that it was most likely due to fluids in her ears, especially since she was born at 37 weeks. After a few more failed tests, mom and baby were discharged without any real concern. Baby was completely healthy, despite her small size of 5lbs 6 oz at birth, and there was no reason to worry.
Then, at one-month-old, Charly went in to see an audiologist for a definitive test. Would it be blocked-up fluid, as Christy suspected and truly believed, or would it be something much more serious?
As the test went on, Christy could sense something wasn’t right.
The diagnosis was “profound hearing loss.” Unsure what that exactly meant, Christy asked the doctor, “Is she deaf?” and the answer was yes.
After a lot of crying and processing with her husband – neither of them had ever even met a deaf person in their whole lives – the parents did their research and found some amazing information.
They decided that giving their child cochlear implants was the way to go for their family. While controversial to some, Christy and her husband knew that this was the right choice for their family and for their baby.
When going in for the fitting for the initial hearing aids, doctors told the family that there probably wouldn’t be much of a reaction. The hearing loss was so profound that they even suspected that Charly might even sleep through the procedure,
However, Christy had her husband turn on the camera, “just in case.”
Thank goodness she did, because now millions of folks around the world have witnessed the moment Charly first heard her mom say “I love you.”
The look on her little face says it all.
The journey has been a trying one for the family in many ways, but at the end of the day, they don’t see or treat their baby differently from any other. There is just this added way to bond and grow along with their child and her journey through life.
Christy says that,
“ We have enjoyed learning about deaf culture and I can honestly say I am so proud to be the parent of a deaf child. We are so thrilled that she is warming hearts all over the world. We are so excited for this journey and to watch her move mountains. In our eyes, she is no different than our other child and we will treat her no differently. We will push her, encourage her, and love her through all challenges to make sure she accomplishes everything she wants in life.”
See the amazing footage of Charly’s first hearing moment below.
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