1-Year-Old Boy Born Deaf Given Gift Of Sound With Cochlear Implants

SHERMAN OAKS (CBSLA.com) — When Samantha Oliver gave birth to her son Thomas 14 months ago, she experienced the usual flood of emotions.

"I would say it was an amazing day. It was beautiful but I was also just scared. I was so scared," she said.

But her typical, first-time mom fears were compounded when Thomas flunked his newborn screening test twice.

"So we went when he was 16 days old and did another hearing test. This one was more extensive with an audiologist," she recalled.

That was when the doctors told the Olivers that Thomas passed the test.

"I started just breathing a sigh of relief and I said, 'OK, great,' and didn't think twice about it after that," she said.

But around 7 months old, Samantha noticed Thomas didn't respond to his name like his playmates. One time an alarm went off in their home and Thomas wasn't startled.

"I finally tried yelling in his ear while he was sleeping in his crib and no response," she said.

Doctors determined Thomas was born deaf due to a genetic condition.

"My heart just completely sank and I felt like, 'What kind of life is he gonna have now?' " she said.

Back in January, Thomas had surgery to give him cochlear implants and the day that doctors turned them on was captured on tape.

"When he first reacted to sound, that's a moment that I will always remember," said Blake Oliver, Thomas' father.

The Olivers say Thomas is crawling more now that he can hear and babbling more.

"We're just thrilled that he hears us, that he is happy hearing us, that one day, not yet, that he's gonna say, 'Mama,' " she said.

The hope is that Thomas won't have to have any other surgeries. His implants are expected to be good for a lifetime.