When their son Gal was only five weeks old, his parents received the devastating diagnosis that he was deaf. The family had no history of deafness, making the news entirely unexpected. Gal's mother, Tal, said, "When it clicks, it is darkness. There is no family history, it is usually genetic," describing the shock that began an intense emotional and medical journey.
That journey led to cochlear implant surgery when Gal was 10 months old. The family then faced the tense moment when the device was activated, but the hoped-for response did not come immediately. Tal recalled, "On the day of the connection they try to make it happen. It takes two hours," but said the first real reaction only appeared three weeks later, when Gal suddenly turned his head sharply at a buzz she made.
That moment marked the first time Gal responded to sound. Now, at age one, he is discovering a world full of new noises every day, which his parents describe as being born again. His father told the morning show "The World This Morning" that each new sound brings a different reaction. "Sometimes he is startled, sometimes he is shocked, sometimes he laughs," he said. "It is like a newborn who is suddenly discovering everything, only for him it is happening at age one."
