A girl was able to hear sound for the first time in her life thanks to a life-changing medical device.
Maggie Gleason was born without cochleas, which are the small, snail-shaped inner ear bones - the key organ for hearing.
Due to her condition, she had no auditory nerve and so has been deaf her whole life.
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But, for the first time ever, the 14-year-old was able to hear her parent's voices after receiving an auditory brainstem implant.
“Maggie, can you hear me?” Maggie's father asks in a heart-warming video capturing the moment by University Hospitals.
Maggie's face lights up as she slowly nods with a smile in response.
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Her mother joins in, completely overwhelmed when Maggie recognises her voice too.
Specialists at UH Cleveland Medical Center placed an innovative electronic device called an auditory brainstem implant (ABI).
Essentially, it's a prosthetic hearing device that stimulates neurons directly at the human brain stem and completely bypasses the inner ear and hearing nerve.
The implantable device provides a sense of sound allowing people like Maggie to perceive sound.
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More technically, ABI involves a tiny radio receiver which is implanted underneath the skin as well as small platinum electrodes placed into the brain stem.
Maggie's surgeon, Maroun Semaan, MD, of UH Case Medical Center, believes she might be the first teenager to get this device for her condition.
"For someone who has never heard, the perception and awareness of sound is extremely helpful," said Dr. Semaan, Director, Otology, Neurotology, and Balance Disorders at UH Case Medical Center and Associate Professor, Otolaryngology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
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Maggie's surgery took place in September 2015 and the novel system was turned on and tested the following December.
Her family was there to witness the emotional milestone, as specialists first activated her device and shared the first moment she could respond to sound.
Her dad, who was the first to speak, spoke of his surprise in that moment.
"I always felt I would have a lot to say to her when the moment came," said her father Frank Gleason, "but I was left speechless."
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Viewers of the YouTube video have been loving the inspiring moment in the comments.
"What an inspirational family! I'm happy that this technology has reached Maggie; may it help her continue to make great strides in her life. Bravo!" the first user wrote.
"this is so beautiful," another added.
"Wow! Amazing science. Inspiring story," someone else remarked.