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Little girl born deaf gets the gift of hearing

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – An Indiana couple whose daughter was born deaf is now hearing with the help of a cochlear implant. 

Charlotte Goeppner is almost two years old now but was born deaf.

She failed her newborn hearing exam and her parents at first feared what life would be like for their daughter.

“When the audiologist told us that she was deaf, in my mind she would never hear ever. She would never talk to us, how are we going to communicate? I don’t know sign language,” said Charlotte’s mother Samantha Goeppner

The family soon learned about cochlear implant. It’s a device that is surgerically put into the ear. 

“With a cochlear implant, we are bypassing that portion of hearing and the sound is sent electronically down the cable coil, across her skin to the internal device,” said audiologist with Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Katie Jones.

Charlotte had the double cochlear implant surgery nine months ago and has continued to make progress ever since.

“I’m just speechless because she’s doing so well. She’s just so special to us. I would not change anything that ever happened to her,” Goeppner added.