See a Pair of Twins Hear Their Mom for the First Time
Kayla and Kiara Hernandez were born with moderate hearing loss.
— -- A pair of twin girls were able to hear their mother clearly for the first time this week after they were both fitted with new hearing aids.
Kayla and Kiara Hernandez were born with moderate hearing loss and in need of hearing aids to hear properly, according to ABC station KABC-TV in Los Angeles.
But their parents didn't know if they could afford the life-changing technology at first because the hearing aids cost approximately $12,000 for both and would require follow up visits.
The twins' mother, Gemila Hernandez, told KABC-TV that the family was initially at a loss as to how to pay for the hearing aids, which were not covered by insurance.
"Trying to figure out how are we going to get it to them as soon as possible. Where do we even start?" she said.
But then the family found out about the HearAid Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides hearing aids to those in need free of charge. Kelsey Duckett, a spokeswoman for the foundation, said that the family's insurance did not approve the hearing aids and that they did not have the funds to pay for the hearing aids upfront.
Hernandez told KABC-TV she was devastated when she first found out the girls had hearing loss. "I question that have they ever heard me say that I love them," she told KABC-TV.
But Hernandez won't have to worry about that after the girls were fitted with special hearing aids that the Hear Aid Foundation funded. The devices will help the girls with speech and learning development as they age. On Wednesday, the girls were able to hear for the first time and when Hernandez leaned over to one daughter and said "Mama" the girl cooed and kicked her legs.
Hernandez and her husband said they hope by sharing their story, people will learn more about the foundation and others like it.
"Support them and learn about them. See how they're impacting the community because if I could only tell you how they've helped us," Hernandez told KABC-TV.
Related Stories
ABC News Live