A toddler in Orlando has gone viral following her emotional reaction to being able to hear her mom and dad’s voices.
Q’ela Pierce is a 3-year-old in Orlando, Florida, who is deaf, according to T&T Creative Media. Her father, Quaneef Pierce shared a video on his Facebook page earlier this month that showed what it was like for her when her cochlear implant was switched on for the first time.
“Her First Time Hearing And It Broke My Heart 💔 I Couldn’t Record No More 😢 But God Is Good 🙏 It’s Only Up For Her From Here 💯 Her Support System Strong 💪🏿 P.S: It Doesn’t Hurt Her She’s Just Shocked 😳,” read Pierce’s caption.
The video saw Q’ela (pronounced KEE-lah) playing with a toy before the implant, which the NIDCD reports is a small electronic device surgically placed under the skin for a person to hear sound, was turned on. The moment it is, Q’elah stops playing and places one of her hands on her head. Then, her mom 33-year-old Nikitia Vasser and 25-year-old dad Pierce, say her name. Instantly flooded with emotion, the little girl begins to sob and reaches out for a hug.
The moment was posted to Pierce’s Facebook page on Oct. 3 but it’s still generating buzz weeks later as touched social media users have added to the 1,900 comments as recently as Oct. 24. The proud dad also uploaded another video from the same doctor’s appointment that was less emotional. But it was Q’ela’s initial reaction to her new sense that moved people to pour out with comments and share the footage 28,000 times.
“Just beautiful 😍”
“This was so touching she couldn’t believe it”
“She made me cry with her ❤️ God bless your heart beautiful ❤️❤️”
“Brings me to tears everytime I see this happy for you babygirl❤”
“I’m So Happy For My Baby Y’all Don’t Know What We Been Through Trying Just To Get This Reaction From Her 😩🥰💪🏿 Daddy Love You Bae 😘😘😘,” read Pierce’s caption in part from the second video.
The parents learned when Q’lea was born that she had failed her newborn screening. A few months later, she failed another test, and although she had hearing aids, she had not responded well to speech and language heard through them.
Then, in January, the toddler was qualified to be fitted with a cochlear implant. By August 29, she had surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida. By Oct. 3, Q’lea was healed and able to have her cochlear implant activated.
“This journey has been really rough, but I never gave up hope so I was ecstatic and emotional during the activation,” Vasser, her mom, told the Daily Mail. “Since activation, my family has been so excited, and everyone works on speech with Q’ela and makes sure she keeps her coil attached to her head.
“She’s doing well. She still doesn’t understand when we speak that the sound she’s hearing is coming from us, but she recognizes nature sounds,” Vasser continued. “I hope this video lets others know there is hope for you or your loved one to hear again.”
