This 8-year-old was born deaf, but thanks to new hearing technology, is able to follow her passion for dance
By Jacob Murphy
Click here for updates on this story
SACO, Maine (WMTW) — Emma Blake has many different titles. Dancer, cheerleader, athlete, and even a social butterfly by her teachers and parents. One part of her that isn’t immediately apparent is Emma was born deaf.
“Without my hearing aids, I can’t hear anything,” she said.
Emma was born with a condition called bilateral microtia atresia, which means both ears are underdeveloped. The inside of her ear works just the same as anyone else’s, except there’s no way for the sound to get through.
“It was very emotional, you know, seeing that your kid is born with some exceptionalities that are going to make things challenging throughout her life,” said Jill Blake, Emma’s mom.
When testing determined the inside of Emma’s ear was working, Emma’s parents got to work advocating for Emma to have bone-conducting hearing technology as soon as possible. At 3-months-old she got Cochlear’s Baha System. It takes sound from around Emma and vibrates her skull. Similar technology has been used to make headphones for swimmers.
“It was the first time I could hear,” Emma said.
Jill shared a video of Emma as a baby wearing the Baha system for the first time. It’s worn like a headband, and you can see Emma react to her parents’ voice.
Getting her the technology so young, Emma was able to learn spoken language at a rate similar to her peers.
“She had access to that sound really early, and we worked with speech therapist, an early intervention from three months on. So Emma has very typical developing speech,” Jill said.
That’s not where Emma’s hearing journey ends. While the Baha system was helpful for Emma’s development, it still had its problems. It was itchy and sometimes gave audio feedback. Emma being so active meant it would occasionally fall off.
Around two years ago, the FDA approved for a newer Cochlear device, called the Osia system, to be used by Children younger than 12. It had to be surgically installed, but would significantly improve the sound quality and reduce audio delays. Emma’s family again advocated for her to get access to the new technology as soon as possible.
“I do actually think she was the first five-year-old implanted in Maine,” Jill said. Five is now the minimum age to install the device.
Emma’s family immediately noticed the difference.
“She can pick up on the beat much more quickly. And there’s less of a delay in the input coming through,” Jill said.
For Emma, who loves music (especially Taylor Swift), it helps her enjoy what she loves even more. “I like to dance in the music and not just follow my teachers,” she said.
Jill says she’s thankful that Emma doesn’t need to realize how significantly the hearing aid has changed her life, because it’s all she’s known. She’s able to do everything that her friends are capable of.
“If you look at the time between when she was born in eight years, now she’s gone through two totally different systems, one of which didn’t even exist to the market at that point in time. So we feel really blessed that we live here and that we have opportunities that we do to be able to give her the access to the sound,” she said.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.