I have a few friends in my life who live with varying degrees of deafness. Some, like my friend Kevin, are completely deaf and haven't ever been able to hear the way that you and I do and others like Jessica have lived with hearing and have lost it.

White Kevin and Jessica's hearing loss differs, they share something in common - the desire to hear the laughter of a baby. Kevin hasn't ever heard what a giggling baby sounds like and he's told me several times that he wishes he were able to. Tammy has been able to hear the sound of a laughing baby, but the memory of the sound is all that she has now.

I will be eternally thankful that I've had the ability to hear my son's laughter. Next to the first cry after the birth of a child, laughter from a tiny human is my favorite sound. While Anna Esler has been able to hear the sounds that her daughter makes, the little girl wasn't able to hear herself or anyone else, until recently and when she did, Anna broke down in such a heart-grabbing way.

One-year-old Ayla has become an internet sensation, grabbing the hearts of millions of people around the world. You see, cameras were rolling when little Ayla's cochlear implant was activated for the first time and Ayla's reaction is absolutely priceless and her mama's reaction truly touches the heart. Watch as this sweet family experiences a sweet moment together.

[via NBC]

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