Amazing moment deaf woman hears for first time

Music, birdsong and a ticking clock have all reduced Joanne Milne to tears, in the days since she was given cochlear implants, which allowed her to hear for the first time.

Joanne, 39, had been profoundly deaf since she was born because of Usher syndrome, which also means she is losing her sight.

Her mother caught on camera the moment when her implants were switched on and she could hear.

Frances Read reports.

A deaf woman, who appeared in an emotional video which showed her hearing for the first time, has thanked ITV News' Facebook followers for their "wonderful comments" on the social networking site.

Watch: Deaf woman given hearing after 39 years of silence

Commenting on ITV News' Facebook page, Joanne Milne wrote: "Wonderful comments...you're making me cry again! Thanks everyone...I'm still on my emotional rollercoaster!"

Watch: Deaf woman tells ITV 'it's amazing' to hear for first time

Joanne Milne had been profoundly deaf since she was born, when a cochlear implant helped her to hear for the first time.

Watch: the moving moment a deaf woman hears for the first time

She said the sounds were like nothing she had experienced before:

"The sound was going through my body and it was just, really hard to explain, because I've always felt vibrations rather than hearing sounds. The impact went straight through me and it was just so emotional," she said.

Joanne Milne was born profoundly deaf, but she is now able to hear for the first time, thanks to new cochlear implants.

Here she told us she did not mind being deaf until she began to lose her sight too, due to a rare condition called Usher's Syndrome.

After almost four decades of silence, Joanne Milne heard sound for the first time. Here, in her first television interview, she described the emotion to ITV News.

To qualify for a cochlear implant, people will undertake hearing tests. The NHS will then be able to say whether or not a cochlear implant is the best option for them or their child.

People will undertake a hearing test before they are told whether or not a cochlear implant is right for them. Cochlear implants are generally for those with nerve deafness and for whom hearing aids are not beneficial.

Candidacy is decided on an individual basis after patients are talked through the benefits and limitations of the implant.

A cochlear implant is a device which allows people with severe to profound hearing loss the ability to hear. The implant has both internal and external parts.

The internal part (the receiver) is inserted during surgery which takes two hours. The external part (the speech processor) is fit a few weeks after surgery and allows the internal part to take in sound. An NHS demonstration can be seen here.

After almost forty years of silence, this is the first moment Joanne Milne heard anything.

Her mum filmed the 39-year-old's reaction when her life-changing cochlear implants were switched on.

Joanne is from Gateshead and used to live in Sheffield. She has been profoundly deaf since birth.

To celebrate this incredible moment in her life, her friend Tremayne Crossley has made her a playlist to take her through the decades of music that she's missed.

MORE: Friend's playlist for woman who can hear for first time.

A profoundly deaf woman has been filmed hearing sounds for the first time.

39-year-old Joanne Milne, from Gateshead, was filmed by her mother on a mobile phone the moment her life-changing cochlear implants were switched on.

The video has gone viral on social networks.

Joanne, who used to live in Sheffield, became overwhelmed with emotion after the specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham recited the days of the week.