Tulsa Girl Introduced To World Of Sound With Cochlear Implant

It was the moment a little girl had waited a lifetime for. Deaf since birth, she somehow found her way to a family on the other side of the world who knew exactly what to do.

The perfect fit was nothing short of a miracle.

It's something most of us take for granted, but little Jayde Scholl is experiencing for the first time: the ability to hear.

Jayde was born in China. She was 8 months old when she was found in a public square. From there she went to an orphanage, and last December she was adopted by Dr. Jacque Scholl and her husband from Tulsa.

Dr. Scholl is owner of the Scholl Center for Communication Disorders but she had no idea that Jayde was deaf when they first met. So Tuesday the tables were turned a bit for Dr. Scholl when Jayde's Cochlear implant was turned on and she heard her mother's voice for the first time.

"I have to tell you it was a little breathtaking," said Dr. Jacque Scholl, Jayde's mother. "She's never looked at us when we've done anything or said anything, we've sat behind her with pots and pans and she wore hearing aids but she had no residual hearing."

Helping with Tuesday's big event was Dr. Jane Madell. She's been working with children to improve their hearing for more than 40 years and developed many of the modern techniques that have made cochlear implants so successful.

 "We know absolutely that deaf children can learn to talk and can participate in life just like their hearing peers," said Dr. Jane Madell, pediatric audiologist.

Jayde will also soon be a part of medical history. Next month she will be one of the first children in the world to receive a new processor that will make her implant smaller and less noticeable.

Her mother says Jayde has come a long way since her days in the orphanage and the future can only get better.

"Oh, with Jayde, sky's the limit," she said.

Learn more about Jayde's Journey

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