Lachlan Lever was born with sensorineural hearing impairment, causing moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears. The young child did not hear his mother's voice for the first seven weeks of his life. Then, in July 2012, doctors implanted hearing aids in the infant.
Lachlan responded with displeasure and crying to the discomfort of having hearing aids inserted. Soon after, he hears the voices of his parents for the first time. His mother greeted him with the words "Hello, Gorgeous." A smile forms on the face of the young baby, as his eyes open with delight. The infant sat silent, soaking in the new sensation of sound for the first time in his short life.
"His reaction when they were turned on was truly amazing. We cried from happiness. Our beautiful little boy is now two years old and doing remarkably well," Lachlan's family wrote in a description of a video showing the first time the young child heard his mother's voice.
Michelle Lever, Lachlan's mother, is hopeful the popularity of her family's video will assist other parents to provide the devices to their own children in need.
"I want them to realize that there is a lot of support and help available to them," she told the press.
Hearing aids are electrical devices design to amplify sound, and make conversation easier to understand. Simple amplifiers, even small ones worn in ears, are not considered true hearing aids, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some hearing aids, used to treat certain conditions, are mounted directly on bone, using conduction to transmit vibrations.
Ear trumpets, or ear horns, were among the earliest devices used to amplify sounds for the hard-of-hearing. They were first designed by Jean Leurechonin, a Jesuit priest, in the 17th Century. Another such official also designed a similar device right around the same time, as so often happens with inventions and discoveries.
The first large commercial facility to produce ear trumpets was founded by Frederick C. Rein in London at the star of the 19th Century. For the next 100 years, the items remained popular. The company ceased operations in 1963, making the first manufacturer the last one, as well.
Lachlan is now two years old, and is in good health, and able to hear sounds in the world around him. Speech therapists in Victoria, Australia are working with the child to assist with communication skills. He is on par with other two-year-olds in learning development. The video of the initial reaction was posted to YouTube on 31 Aug. It received nearly six million views in its first week.
