“When Ethan was four, we realized he was not hearing well,” reflects Amy Cooper, mother to five-year-old Ethan Baum. The family, including sister Allie, came into the House Children’s Hearing Center of UCLA for a checkup. “His teacher was calling his name, and he didn’t respond, so we put two and two together. Our pediatrician referred us to UCLA Health. Ethan had an audiogram, and we found out he had a 50% hearing loss. Thankfully, it was fully reversible. Ethan had surgery, which was scary, of course, but he had excellent care. On the drive home, his hearing was already perfect. It was so emotional because I whispered, ‘Ethan,’ and he heard me. Before the surgery, he was an anxious and shy kid, and now he’s a social butterfly."
