2-Year-Old Girl Has Emotional Reaction to Hearing Her Mother's Voice for the First Time

A young Kansas girl shared a warm hug with her mother after being able to hear her voice for the very first time. The toddler had dealt with hearing impairment since birth.

Being able to enjoy a happy and healthy life is indeed a blessing, which many times is taken for granted. Thanks to doctors and health specialists, medical science is gradually experiencing breakthroughs, which are resulting in a myriad of possibilities.

Suffering from any health condition can be mentally and physically exhausting. 2-year-old Mavis Malone knew these feelings too well before hearing her mom for the first time after her cochlear implant surgery in 2020.

Her family captured the heart-touching moments in a video, where little Mavis can be seen playing with her toys, as her mom asks her: "Can you hear mama?" She also signs her name to catch her daughter's attention. Talking to CBS, Casey shared:

"There's just that split second right before she covers them that I felt like she wanted to cry like, 'Ooh I heard,' you know (sic)?"

The toddler also looks taken aback and is overwhelmed with emotions as she proceeds to cover her face with her hands and then embraces her mother warmly.

Mavis' mother, Casey Cain Malone, had no idea her daughter suffered from hearing loss until she noticed her behavior one day and realized it was different from that of her other kids. She further expressed:

"She wouldn't even react. She wouldn't do anything until she actually turned her head to look at me, and I would startle her."

Casey then compared Mavis' behavioral patterns as a baby with her older kids, Cain and Ronin. Her doubts were confirmed when her husband, Ahmad, also noticed that their daughter gave no response to things.

The Malones took Mavis to the doctors in Topeka, following which they were asked to get a few tests done from Children's Mercy. As it turned out, the little girl was diagnosed with EVA or enlarged vestibular aqueducts.

The enlarged vestibular aqueduct is a common congenital inner ear malformation that ultimately results in severe or complete hearing loss. Initially, Mavis was given hearing aids, but they lost their effectiveness over time.

Casey and Ahmad knew they had to do something to ensure their little princess would be able to hear again. They were then introduced to the idea of cochlear implant surgery.

Soon afterward, Mavis underwent the procedure where a surgeon made a small incision and inserted a surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device under her skin. They then placed an electrode in her inner ear.

The little girl waited for nearly four weeks for her incision site to heal, following which her implants were activated, and she was able to hear voices for the first time.

The Malones are delighted to see their little princess being able to lead her life as a normal kid. Mavis's elder brother Ronin also shared that he's happy his sister is finally able to hear, and he loves her with all his heart.