Deaf Baby With Down Syndrome Hears Mommy’s Voice for the First Time–and It’s Amazing!

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An Ohio baby with Down syndrome overcame some sizable bumps early on in life—all of it before turning 2 years old. She overcame cancer not once but twice. And she was born deaf, yet, thanks to receiving cochlear implants, the child was able to hear sounds for the first time. Her story of survival is nothing short of incredible.

When Valerie Revell-Rosian, from Strongsville, Ohio, gave birth to Grace in August 2017, the news doctors had for her was devastating. “When Grace was born, doctors let us know that she has Down syndrome, and she also had […] a form of leukemia that is typical in children with Down syndrome,” she recalls, per People. The woman describes hearing about the news of her daughter’s illness as “a hard punch in the gut.”

Only a day after birth, the underweight newborn was undergoing chemotherapy, a type of treatment that is difficult enough for adults to survive. “She was born two months premature, so she only weighed a little over four pounds when she started her chemotherapy,” Revell-Rosian told Fox8 Cleveland. And after two months of treatment, doctors declared little Grace cancer-free.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of her battle. “She was only home for a little bit, and she started to get sick again,” Revell-Rosian tells People.

The mother explained that she didn’t get to spend more than five months in total with her baby at home. Upon receiving the second diagnosis, she “thought, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen?’” but “wanted to fight for her,” according to the mother, per People. Little Grace suffered through about five rounds of aggressive chemo.

Thankfully, the child’s cancer went into remission at the beginning of 2018, and she was released from the hospital on March 21 that same year, which was “a wonderful day for her to be released because it’s International Down Syndrome Awareness Day,” Revell-Rosian told Fox 8 Cleveland at the time of Grace’s release.

However, the story gets even more awe-inspiring. Grace’s mother had been communicating with her using sign language, as she was deaf. In 2019, not long after turning 2, the toddler received cochlear implants at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s that allowed her to hear for the very first time.

“All of a sudden, hearing all of these things, it’s very overwhelming to her,” said Revell-Rosian, per Fox8 Cleveland. The mother recalls how after the implants were activated, Grace’s “whole body started to tremble.”

Watch the video of Grace hearing for the first time:

Since the birth of her daughter, Revell-Rosian has been documenting her story through Facebook, where she lovingly dubs the little girl “Amazing Grace.” The toddler also has a dedicated funding page to help the family with her ongoing medical expenses.

In spite of all the struggles she’s been through, though, little Grace can still smile and enjoy the beauty of life.

“She’s such a happy baby. Even when she was sick, she always had a smile. She’s always been a very peaceful, happy, talkative little girl. She’s a wonderful baby. She has a wonderful demeanor about her, a happy, playful little girl,” her mother told People.