Aida Little is 7 months old and can finally hear her parents鈥� voices.
The Minnesota baby was born deaf, but thanks to a surgical team at a Minnesota Mayo Clinic, she will be able to interpret speech. The clinic recently released a speak to her for the first time.
鈥淗i beautiful, can you hear me? It鈥檚 daddy,鈥� her father said in the video released last week. 鈥淲e love you. We do.鈥�
Aida swings her arms around, smiles and gapes at her parents as they talk to her. At one point she reaches out to touch her mom鈥檚 mouth as she talks to her.
鈥淗i big girl,鈥� her mother said. 鈥淗i sweet pea.鈥�
Aida was born with a rare genetic condition called Waardenburg syndrome, which causes deafness and pigment changes of the hair, eyes and skin, according to the . Most people with the syndrome have normal hearing, but Aida was born 鈥減rofoundly deaf,鈥� her parents wrote on a .
In October, Aida was fitted with 鈥渂ilateral cochlear implants鈥� which, instead of amplifying sound the way hearing aids do, deliver sound signals directly to the hearing nerves, bypassing damaged portions of the ear.
鈥淭he brain interprets those signals as sounds, though these sounds won't be like normal hearing,鈥� the clinic .
Waardenburg syndrome can come with a broad spectrum of symptoms, including wide-set eyes and joint issues. Aida鈥檚 parents have raised more than $3,600 on GoFundMe since July, citing expected medical bills.
鈥淢y mommy and daddy have been taking me to many appointments since I arrived into this world, and it's only going to get busier.. and more expensive!鈥� they wrote in Aida鈥檚 voice.
