In 2012, Lachlan Lever of Victoria, Australia was born with moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.
Seven weeks later, he was fitted with hearing aids that allowed him to hear his mother’s voice for the first time.
At first he was startled, but then he realized what was going on and smiled a big smile.
His mom Michelle burst into tears. “I had never been more happy in my life,” she said.
A Video Says a Million Words
Michelle posted the video of the event on her Facebook page. Two years later, the video went viral. Michelle found one night that there were six thousand Likes–the next morning there were forty thousand; it’s now up to well over three hundred thousand. The video has been posted now on YouTube where it’s gone viral.
Everyone loves a happy story, especially when it involves a child. Michelle says about the popularity of the video, “I am so happy that we can share our magic moment with the world. I hope it can give some other families the realization everything is going to be okay.”
Chatterbox
After his first use of the hearing aids, Lachlan’s behavior changed: he became much more animated, expressive, interactive, and happy. Now two years old, his speech therapist says he’s at the same level as other children his age. She feels he’ll be able to attend regular classes at school when it’s time to go. His mom says, “he is the biggest chatterbox out there. He’s only two so there’s a lot is gibberish that you can’t understand, but when he’s telling you something, he makes sure you understand.”
Bionic Ears
Technology advances in tools for hearing have come a long way from holding a horn in your ear. There is now even a cochlear implant under development that can inject DNA to regenerate the auditory nerve, allowing people with nerve damage to hear–some for the first time.
Those who do not suffer from hearing loss or deafness cannot understand what it’s like to be unable to hear voices, the wind, music. Imagine what a silent world would be like.
For lucky little Lachlan, he no longer has to face that challenge. And that’s enough to make anyone smile.