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A baby born partially deaf has been given the best possible present for his first Christmas - the gift of hearing.

Nine-month-old Alex Denman-Sang, from Halewood, melted hearts with a heartwarming viral video showing his joy at hearing his mum's voice for the first time.

The footage, which has been viewed by 1.2million people, sparked a media whirlwind which saw Alex and his family appearing on ITV's This Morning and switching on Alder Hey's Christmas lights.

Now his parents Jen Denman and Paul Sang say they are looking forward to a very special festive season with Alex and his brother Joe, who turns four on December 27.

Jen, 37, a supermarket worker, said: "Christmas is my favourite time of year, and this one is going to be so much more special than usual.

"It’s Alex’s first Christmas and, thanks to Alder Hey, he will be able to totally join in – and listen to us all singing!"

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Civil servant Paul, 39, said: "I can’t wait until Christmas Day – it will be Alex’s first Christmas, and the first for us as a family of four.

"I love Christmas anyway – I’m still a big kid at heart – but it’s going to be the most special one yet."

Alex has EVA (enlarged vestibular aqueduct) syndrome – a structural deformity of the inner ear.

His partial hearing loss is permanent and he will have to be monitored for the rest of his life.

Doctors say there is a possibility he could lose the rest of his hearing and have advised his family against taking him on a plane or letting him swim under water.

The video, from June, showing Alex grinning at the sound of his mum's voice, was shot just for friends and family.

It went viral after Jen tagged Alder Hey Children's Hospital - who then shared it with followers.

Some of the original footage features in Google’s two-minute-long most searched for videos of 2018 compilation.

Jen said: "I’d not seen any smile as big as that one before.

"Alex has always been smiley but suddenly, after the procedure to fit his hearing aids, he was smiling with his eyes as well.

"That smile has taken him into the hearts of so many people.

"We owe Alder Hey everything. They have been amazing. And we were just lost for words when they asked us to switch their Christmas lights on."

Paul added: "It will be a bit surreal when he’s older and watches it with a complete understanding of it all.

"And he will have a great story when people say to him ‘Tell us something about yourself that no-one else knows’!"