'More' sign from Finlay – after operation gives joy of music
A boy who was born deaf signed the word "more" the first time he heard music after an operation to restore his hearing.
Finlay McNamara was so excited to hear the 1990s pop song after undergoing a cochlear implant operation that he wanted to hear it again.
His mother, Louise, said the word out loud to her three-year-old son and he repeated it after listening to Macarena by Los del Rio on the car radio on their way home.
Mrs McNamara, of Woodlesford, Leeds, said: "I can't believe that 'more' ended up being his first word – and after listening to what is now his favourite song. It was so great to appreciate he could hear and loved music.
"We were all dancing away in the car when it came on and he just loved it.
"Up until this point Finlay had to use sign language, so I suppose he already knew what he wanted to say. He'd just never spoken before."
The three-hour operation has given little Finlay a new lease of life after he was born deaf.
But his mother and husband, Phil, only learned their son was deaf when he was one year old. Finlay had seemed so alert in distraction tests that he managed to convince health visitors he was responding to noise.
He was almost one when his mother noticed that he did not flinch when some crates crashed to a supermarket floor.
His parents, who have two other children, tried shouting behind his back and making loud noises around him and his deafness was soon medically confirmed.
Mrs McNamara, 36, said: "To have not known he was completely deaf for over a year was devastating for us. Looking back I can't believe that none of us realised he couldn't hear.
"Getting deaf children help as soon as possible is essential with their development so it was really upsetting."
But Finlay's consultant in Leeds referred him to top ear nose and throat (ENT) consultant Chris Raine at the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Centre based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, where Finlay was found to be a suitable candidate for a cochlear implant.
The operation involved implanting an electronic device, often known as a bionic ear, into his inner ear.
Then the external part of the cochlear implant, which sends an electronic signal to Finlay's inner ear, enabling him to hear, was switched on.
Finlay now attends a nursery with provision for deaf children and he has speech therapy.
Mrs McNamara, a teacher, said: "They think he should be able to cope with mainstream school. It has really changed all of our lives and it is wonderful to know he can now appreciate sounds.
"On the first day we found out he was deaf we thought 'will he get a job?', 'will he get married?' All we wanted was for him to hear and thanks to his consultant, Mr Raine, he can.
"I'm not sure when I'll get sick of listening to Macarena though."
