Watch Deaf-Blind Mom Cry Tears of Joy as She is Surprised by 3D Printed Bust of Her College Bound Daughter

Faith Altheide’s family have been through a lot. Last year, she lost her husband. On top of all that, the mother of a teen – who was born deaf – recently went blind.

Still, daughter Denise, who communicates with her mom through a combination of ASL and tactile signing – has managed to be a top student and this fall she will be off to college.

Yet, that presented a challenge for the family. Unable to hear or see, mom Faith needed some way to feel close to her daughter while she was away at school.

That is when Faith’s social worker had an idea.

She contacted Ron Shaffer and Cory Howard and asked the they could create a 3D printed bust of Denise to help her mom have some tactile memory of her child.

Shaffer and Howard used photos to create a mock-up and ultimate created the model using a Makerbot Replicator.

Denise predicted that her mom – who will be living alone for the first time when she goes off to school – would react to the special gift with tears.

“She [her mom] is probably going to be a bit confused at first and will probably cry,” the upcoming freshman said.

As it turns out, the Denise mom know her mom well. Not only did her mom cry happy tears, Faith’s delighted reaction is sure to warm your heart.