Deaf Maggie Gleason hears her father speak for the first time thanks to groundbreaking surgery

• Maggie Gleason was filmed as doctors at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland turned on an auditory brainstem implant (ABI), placed on the lower part of her brain during a ten-hour surgery
• She was one of the hospital's first patients to receive the treatment
• Footage shows the teenager suddenly grinning from ear to ear as her father Frank asks: 'Maggie, can you hear me?'

By Sadie Whitelocks For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:27 EST, 4 February 2015 | Updated: 16:07 EST, 4 February 2015

With the flick of a switch, this is the emotional moment a deaf 14-year-old girl hears her family speak for the very first time.

Maggie Gleason was filmed as doctors at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland turned on an auditory brainstem implant (ABI), placed on the lower part of her brain during a ten-hour surgery.

Footage shows the teenager suddenly grinning from ear to ear as her father Frank asks: 'Maggie, can you hear me?'

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Born death: Maggie Gleason was filmed as doctors at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland turned on an auditory brainstem implant (ABI), placed on the lower part of her brain during a ten hour surgery

Hearing for the first time: Footage shows the teenager suddenly grinning from ear to ear as her father Frank asks: 'Maggie, can you hear me?'

Tearful: Maggie's father and sister, Katie, are overwhelmed with emotion as they see her respond to noise

Her mother Joanna excitedly cuts in: 'You can hear my voice? What about your sister?'

As Maggie nods a 'yes', the room is filled with ecstatic cries.

She was one of the first patients to receive an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) at the UH Case Medical Center.

The electronic device, consisting of a microchip, microphone and electrodes, provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf. It is placed in a spot where the spinal cord and lower part the brain meet.

The implant will not return hearing to normal in most instances but rather allow patients to detect broad audio cues.

Maggie was born with various health complications and doctors gave her just one year to live. Along with being born without hearing, Maggie had a cleft palate, weak kidneys and collapsed lungs.

While she managed to overcome many of her early illnesses, Maggie remained deaf.

Her entire family learned sign language by the time she was ready to start 'talking' and she attended school with other deaf children.

Fighter: Maggie was born with various health complications and doctors gave her just one year to live

Family support: While she managed to overcome many of her early illnesses, Maggie - seen hear with her sister Katie -remained deaf

Last spring, after being turned down twice for cochlear implants, her family received the news that she had been given the go-ahead for a different type of implant previously only approved for adults.

She underwent surgery in November and the devices were turned on three days after Christmas.

Her mother said her favorite sound was hearing her father call out her name.

She returned home to soak in many other noises, including the sound of running water and her dog barking.

More than one month on, doctors say Maggie is making progress and the implants have been fine-tuned. She is currently having speech and hearing therapy in a bid to train her brain.

The nine-grader's hobbies include dancing and cooking. She hopes to be a pastry chef in the future.

Peers joke that now she will be able to hear when her baked goods are ready to come out of the oven.

Sister and fatherly love: Maggie's mother said her favorite sound was hearing her father call out her name

Bright future: A month on, Doctors say Maggie is making progress and her hearing implants have been fine-tuned - she hopes to be a pastry chef one day