RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A 1-year-old hearing his mother’s voice for the first time has gone viral.
The heartwarming moment of the Virginia mother and son was captured on video at the VCU Children’s Hospital and has been viewed nearly five million times on Twitter. The proud mother of Maison McMillan sat down with 8News to share the touching story.
Maison suffers from hearing loss and had specially fitted hearing aids made to help him hear clearly. As he put them on for the first time, Maison’s mother, Lauryn Webb pulled out her cell phone to capture his reaction.
In a priceless moment, you can hear Webb ask, “Can you hear me? Hi baby!” All of a sudden you see Maison’s face light up with pure joy as he squeals and laughs, finally hearing the voice of his mother.
“Maison is the love of my life,” Webb exclaimed. “In that moment it was like falling in love with him all over again. I started bawling my eyes out behind the camera.”
The viral video is warming hearts across the nation. Those who view it can’t help but shed a tear, smile and laugh at the sweet moment. During the video a VCU doctor is heard asking, “Do you like what you hear?” and Maison responds with a giggle and squeal. At that moment, Webb was overcome with emotion.
“When he looked up at me, you could see in his face that he was just like ‘wow mom, so that’s what you really sound like?” Webb cried, “It’s the best day of my life since he got out the NICU.”
Maison and his mother share an unimaginable bond. While pregnant, Webb was shot three times in a random home invasion in Hampton, which landed her and her unborn son in the Trauma Center at the VCU Medical Center.
“I gave my self two days to cry and feel upset,” said Webb. “But then I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and think ‘what am I going to do when I get out this hospital’ because when he (Maison) gets out this hospital, he’s going to need all hands on deck and right now I only have one hand to give him.”
Webb’s arm was shattered and a major artery was hit by a bullet in her groin. She underwent two surgeries, which pushed her into emergency labor.
Born as a micro-premie, Maison was four months early weighing only 1 pound 5 oz. He was confined to an incubator for months, developed sepsis and chronic lung disease, and needed oxygen to survive.
Maison is the definition of a true fighter, spending 158 days total in the NICU. Webb couldn’t hold her son in her arms for the first two months of his life.
“He was just so tiny, really itty bitty. You could see through his skin and his eyes were still fused shut,” Webb explained. “It was all very scary. This is my first child, I’m a college student and didn’t expect any of this.”
It may be Webb’s first child, but her motherly instincts kicked right in. Maison is now home and happy. Webb tells 8News, she is cherishing the milestone moments even more after their near death experience because she didn’t know whether her or her son would come out alive after the shooting.
The viral video has been picked up by Good Morning America, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more. Webb says she is thankful for the outpouring of support and that her baby’s smile is making others smile.
“That’s my baby,” shared Webb. “That’s the smile I get everyday when I’m with him so I’m glad everyone else does and gets to share it too. We can now all see his seven teeth!”
LATEST HEADLINES:
