The moment a flight attendant made a deaf infant's first holiday even more "memorable" by unexpectedly using sign language has gone viral on TikTok.
Newsweek spoke to Callie Foster, 35, and her husband, Leonardo Silva, 36, about the epic moment their baby Luca's face lit up as they returned home from Hawaii.
The Los Angeles-based family is over the moon with the Hawaiian Airlines staff, who went above and beyond for one-year-old Luca on November 21.
The clip has been watched by 5.3 million people and received more than 708,500 likes.
"We use ASL to communicate with Luca and our flight attendant noticed us signing and brought up Milo, who is the man in the video.
"He told us that he has used his spare downtime in the sky to learn ASL so he can communicate with deaf passengers and be more connected and inclusive.
"It was absolutely beautiful to see Luca light up when he realized that someone else was using sign language.
"You could see and hear him get so excited and that just fills you up as a parent knowing your child has access to access community and communication," told Callie.
According to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), about two or three out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.
The NIDCD also states more than 90 percent of deaf children are born to parents who can hear.
Luca was diagnosed as deaf at six weeks old and he now uses hearing aids. His parents have learned ASL to ensure he doesn't miss out on communication in the future.
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Over 1,500 people have commented on the video since it was posted on November 27.
The top comment has received more than 40,000 likes, saying: "I wish sign language was taught as an elective in high school."
Another person said: "Baby's babble in baby sign??? are you kidding me?????"
"Hawaiian airlines is the best. they give my service dog his own ticket, and blanket set up on the floor every time we fly," wrote another user.
It seems the flight attendant has made a lasting impression on many people as one person commented: "Milo the flight attendant here is absolutely the sweetest person you will ever meet! I'm so glad he was able to make your baby smile and laugh!"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek's Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter, based in Birmingham, UK. Her focus is trending stories and human ... Read more
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