When Taryn and Drew Ruiz, from Oklahoma City, had their son Archer, they were overjoyed to finally become parents. Although Archer was happy and healthy, but Taryn and Drew quickly noticed that he didn’t seem to be responding to noises or sound.
At only 3-weeks-old, little Archer was diagnosed with hearing loss and his parents were devastated.
“When we learned about Archer’s hearing loss our hearts broke for him,” his mother Taryn told TODAY.
Hearing loss is the most common birth defect, affecting 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 kids. Because children rely on their hearing to learn, it’s critical that hearing loss be addressed as early as possible to avoid the possibility of language delays, reading difficulty, and trouble with social skills. “In fact,” Baby Centre explains, “children with only mild hearing loss are ten times as likely to be held back a grade than children with normal hearing.”
Luckily, just one month later, Taryn and Drew were able to get Archer fitted with hearing aids, provided by Hearts for Hearing.
Hearts for Hearing is an Oklahoma-based organization that was established in 2003. The program provides funding for the initial set of hearing aids for Oklahoma children born with hearing loss. In 2007, Hearts for Hearing expanded their services to also include auditory verbal therapy and a comprehensive hearing health program. The sum of all their hard work can be seen in moments like this…
In a heartwarming video uploaded to YouTube by Drew, you see the magical moment that 2-month-old Archer hears his parents’ voices for the first time.
In the video, Taryn is holding the baby as a health professional puts in his new hearing aids and turns them on.
At first, the baby seems puzzled by the overwhelming noises, not so sure what to think.
“Archer. Archer. Hey buddy,” Taryn says softly.
“Can you hear us, man?” Daddy Drew asks him.
After a few seconds of getting adjusted, Archer suddenly realizes the noises he’s hearing are his parents’ voices.
He stops suddenly, examining Taryn, before bursting into a series of heartwarming grins.
“It was unreal,” Taryn said.
“When we turned on his hearing aids and he heard me say ‘Archer,’ I felt so much relief and joy because, for the first time, I was able to calm him down using my voice.
“It was so special and beautiful.”
“He was always a happy baby,” she later revealed. “But now he is smiling and laughing at new sounds all the time, more than before. He loves to hear himself ‘talk’ and he loves when people talk to him.”
“He smiles so much when his dad plays guitar for him, something his dad had done many times before the hearing aids, but it’s so fun to see Archer finally hearing and reacting to it.”
Since being uploaded to YouTube, Drew’s video has been over a quarter of a million times.
It’s hard not be affected by the pure emotions of both parents and child as they share such a meaningful, first-time moment. Taryn’s voice cracks with joy while Archer’s face is the purest expression of love. Comments beneath the video express sentiments such as the following:
“that little baby has the most expressive face you can totally tell that he can hear his mom and dad such a heartwarming scene”
“You know what REALLY gets me in this video, it’s not the baby’s reaction but the mother’s display of her love to him. The way she speaks to him and holds him and kisses him, and how her voice cracks up… it’s just such a heart warming display of a mother’s love, it melts my heart.”
“He is so adorable and so LUCKY to have such doting and loving Parents. The smiles his face, unbelievable!”
See it for yourself below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
