Reaction of a Young Man Hearing for the First Time (Video)

Emotional footage captured the moment a young man was able to hear for the first time thanks to a cochlear implant. Eric Hoffman, 28 years old, suffered from hearing loss, which meant that his ability to hear sounds was extremely limited or completely absent. In a touching video, Eric is seen speechless and in tears after the implant was activated for the first time on May 31. It will take Eric three to six months to fully understand all the new sounds he hears, and during this period, he will undergo auditory rehabilitation. The young man, who lives in Los Angeles, California, said, "I felt that a very emotional moment in my life had begun. I was so happy, crying and feeling amazed when I heard the sounds clearly. My eyes filled with tears when the audiologist asked me how I felt. I tried to express what I was feeling, but the words couldn't come out of my mouth." Eric has suffered from hearing loss since contracting meningitis, an infection that affects the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord, when he was six months old. He relies on sign language and lip-reading to communicate.