Connexin 26

We finally got a call back from Lily's ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) informing us that her daddy and I are both carriers of a recessive Connexin 26 gene mutation. This means that we have a 25% chance of having deaf children. Her daddy and I each passed Lily a flawed copy of the Connexin 26 gene (CX26), which is why she is deaf.

Possible scenarios:

1. Lily receives an unflawed copy of CX26 from her daddy and an unflawed copy from me--Result: hearing.

2. Lily receives an unflawed copy of CX26 from her daddy and a mutated (flawed) copy from me--Result: hearing.

3. Lily receives a mutated copy of CX26 from her daddy and an unflawed copy from me--Result: hearing.

4. Lily receives a mutated copy of CX26 from her daddy and a mutated copy from me--Result: deaf or hard of hearing.

This is true for any children we will have in the future as well.

It is nice to finally know WHY she is deaf. It is comforting to know that it was nothing that I did wrong while I was carrying her. When we first found out she was deaf I wondered what I did wrong. I tried to be so careful and do everything right. It also makes me a little sad though to think that she has NEVER heard anything, not even in the womb. She's never heard her mommy's voice. I'm so looking forward to the day when she will be able to hear our voices.