By Jack Elsom For Mailonline
Published: 20:36 BST, 21 April 2019 | Updated: 20:39 BST, 21 April 2019
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A deaf seven-year-old girl who had never spoken a single sentence has finally been able to tell her parents she loves them after undergoing groundbreaking surgery.
Leia Armitage from Dagenham, Essex, was born with a rare form of the disability which even the most powerful hearing aids could not fix.
But, in a remarkable turn which even left the Health Secretary in 'awe', she has now found her voice years after a cutting-edge chip was implanted in her brain.
Leia's dad Bob said: 'We thought we had no hope as her deafness was so rare, but thanks to the [implant] we've come so far.
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Leia Armitage (right), seven, has spoken her first words after undergoing groundbreaking surgery for extreme deafness in 2013 (pictured with mother Alison, father Bob and brother Jacob)
The girl, from Essex, has found her voice years after a cutting-edge chip was implanted in her brain by doctors at Guys and St Thomas' Hospital (pictured)
'It's taken five years and a lot of rehab but Leia has defied the odds and is now putting full sentences together.
'There's nothing better than hearing her say "I love you daddy".'
Leia was born without her cochlea and auditory nerve in both ears meaning she was profoundly deaf.
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