She was born with a rare genetic disorder.
A Pennsylvania mother's 3-month-old daughter heard her voice for the first time in a touching moment that was recently captured on video.
Alison Potts was born with Waardenburg syndrome, a rare genetic disorder often characterized by varying degrees of deafness as well as a white forelock of hair and skin pigmentation loss. She passed it on to three of her eight children.
Read: 9-Year-Old 'Guardian of the Galaxy' Applies to NASA Job: 'I Can Learn to Think Like an Alien'
Potts' youngest daughter, Ellianna, who was born unable to hear, was recently fitted for her first hearing aids at St Luke’s audiology in Bethlehem, and her reaction to hearing her mom’s voice was truly heartwarming.
“It was definitely one of the most fantastic feelings in the world," Potts told InsideEdition.com. "The expression on her face was priceless,”
In a video shared by Caters News, Ellianna is seen crying but once she hears her mom speak, she appears stunned before breaking into a huge smile.
“Even though this is my third time going through this process, it still brings me the greatest feeling of joy knowing my baby can now hear my voice,” Potts said.
Potts said Ellianna has been a tad cranky while adjusting to the new hearing aids.
“We put them in until she gets cranky and then we take them out,” Potts said. “She is still trying to figure out where the sound is coming from.
Potts first found out she had the rare disorder in 2006 when her fourth child, Ryan, was 18 months old. She’d taken him to the doctor because she noticed that he was having trouble speaking.
“He was not talking and it was suggested to us that he should have his hearing tested and it came back as a profound loss,” Potts said. “The doctor said we looked like we had features from Waardenburg syndrome. I guess they could tell by things like face shape and Ryan has the white pigmentation on his forehead hair.”
Read: Military Mom Announces Her Homecoming Over School's PA System: 'I Was a Little Nervous'
Potts said she was deeply saddened to realize she’d unknowingly passed on the disorder to her children.
“After finding out that I had passed the condition onto my children I was crushed, but I knew I had to deal with it,” Potts said. “Some days are harder than others and every day involves speech lessons.”
Watch: See 2-Year-Old's Incredible Transformation After Surgery to Remove Facial Tumor
