Mother of deaf daughter purchases $4,000 worth of Mattel dolls with cochlear implants for children with similar issues
NEW YORK -- A mom in Westchester County is going the extra mile for her daughter, who was born with severe hearing loss.
CBS2's Astrid Martinez shows us how a special gift allowed her daughter to feel seen and celebrate her uniqueness.
Many parents revel in the moment when their child talks for the first time.
"Our audiologist in New York City told us she was a hearing child and she would be great and go enjoy your baby," Dana Savitsky said.
But shortly after Lila Savitsky's first birthday, her mother realized her daughter's communication was not progressing. She followed her mother's intuition and took Lila to a new doctor.
"She did a neurological hearing test that should have taken 20 minutes and they took an hour and a half with her, and when they came out they told me that she was profoundly deaf. She was born deaf," Dana Savitsky said.
The family hit the ground running. Lila got cochlear implants at 20 months old. So as far as Lila can remember, she has always been able to hear. She has grown so fond of her implants, she even calls them her super power that she can turn on and off.
"I don't have to hear thunder and lightning and maybe like scary stuff, a scary movie, or when some big scary sound happens. I'm like, nope, not happening," Lila Savitsky said.
But she did start to question why others didn't have her ears.
"There wasn't a doll that looked like Lila that represented Lila that maybe she could connect with," Dana Savitsky said.
Dana Savitsky customized several dolls to wear cochlear implants as presents for her daughter.
The gift was a huge hit.
"But it was also nice when she had friends over the friends would play with the doll and just to see that representation matters. And it doesn't matter the differences," Dana Savitsky said.
In May, Mattel released a Barbie with hearing aids. Right away the family raised $4,000 to purchase hundreds of dolls for deaf children in underprivileged homes.
"I like the hearing aid, the pink ones. And the ear mold is in there and the hair is up and you can see the hearing aid," Lila Savitsky said.
So that other kids can also grow up with dolls that represent them.