Naven now hears his best thanks to Oticon Medical and Ear Community for donating new Ponto hearing device

October 10, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Naven Ramirez, BMA age 5 of the Philippines, receives (2) newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3’s on October 6th, 2017.

Meet Naven R. Osic. Navin is a five-year-old boy who was born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia. Naven lives with his mother, Donna and step-father in a small room in the Philippines. When Donna was pregnant with Naven, she made sure to follow all her doctor’s orders, and be very careful because she wanted her child to be healthy and ready for the world. She was shocked then, when Naven was born missing both of his ears! It was the first time Donna had ever seen little ears, and her heart ached for how her son was going to adjust to life.

Fast-forward five years, and Naven started going to a day care school. He struggled making friends and socializing, and complained to his mother that he couldn’t hear his teacher and couldn’t catch up on his lessons. Naven was also bullied by his classmates and even some of their parents. This was when Donna decided she had to take action. Up until then, she had been unable to afford even the appointments to find out what options were available to help Naven hear.

Donna and Naven met with an ENT at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and received some heartbreaking news. The doctor said that because of Naven’s bilateral hearing loss, his speech and hearing would continue to decline and he would struggle more and more in social and educational settings. They were referred to an audiologist where they discovered that Naven had moderate to severe conductive hearing loss and would need bilateral bone conduction devices to help him hear.

Luckily, someone was watching out for Naven! His audiologists knew about the Ear Community Organization. Donna immediately reached out to Ear Community, and applied for bone conduction devices. On October 6th, 2017, Naven was awarded and fitted with two brand new Ponto 3 bone conduction hearing devices that were donated by Oticon Medical through the Ear Community Organization. We wish to offer a very special thank you to Icee Piedad with Oticon Medical in the Philippines. We could not have made this possible without all her help navigating the medical system in a different country. Icee not only helped us get the devices to the Philippines, but she also donated her time and services to help fit and program Naven’s new Oticon Medical bone anchored hearing systems. Thank you especially to Oticon Medical for donating the two new Ponto Plus hearing devices to Naven. He would not be hearing today and so much better at home and in school if it were not for Oticon Medical.

Donna said, “Naven quickly responded to Ms. Icee when he put on his 2 brand-new Ponto 3’s. I’m so much happy for my son because your prestigious group Ear Community chose Naven to have a BAHA. I will take care his Ponto like I care (of) Naven.” The best part was when she said, “Naven now is very happy, he clearly hear(s) what we are saying. He can easily keep up (with) the lesson when he is at school.”

A very special thank you to Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing for Oticon Medical US, for choosing to donate the new Oticon Medical Ponto 3 to Ear Community so that they could be donated to Naven to help him hear better in and outside of the school classroom. Thank you for everyone’s support and for helping Ear Community continue with its mission of helping individuals with Microtia and Atresia. Oticon Medical believes in helping individuals with hearing loss so that they can live a better quality of life. Oticon Medical is a well-respected international hearing device manufacturer that is a part of the “William Demant Group [which has] 100-plus years of experience in audiology and sound processing and established manufacturing and logistics infrastructure.”

“We are so happy that we could help Naven hear better around the clock so he can now keep up in school, make friends, and enjoy quality time with his family. He deserves to live the life he was meant to live and enjoy being a happy little five-year-old. Thank you to everyone who was involved in making this all possible for Naven to obtain her hearing devices.” – Naven’s Family.

We are over the moon that you can hear so much better now Naven! We hope you thrive in school and hear the sounds of everyday now.
Hugs from all of us at Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

: Naven Ramirez, BMA age 5 of the Philippines, receives (2) newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3’s on October 6th, 2017.

: Naven and his monkey, Massey, from Oticoon Medical

: Naven with his mom, Donna.

Filed Under: Events, History

National Microtia Awareness Day is November 9th!

October 9, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Ear Community ad logo for celebrating National Microtia Awareness Day.

National Microtia Awareness Day is coming up on November 9th! This is a day for children and adults (and their families) who were born with Microtia and Atresia. Many schools across the nation will be participating and helping raise awareness with their students. Parents will be visiting classrooms, speaking about Microtia (underdeveloped or missing outer ears) and Atresia (hearing loss due to underdeveloped ear canals), and hearing devices to raise awareness. Many medical professionals plan to raise awareness by briefly dedicating a slide about Microtia and Atresia and the options for Microtia and Atresia on social media. Hearing device and medical device companies also look forward to blogging on social media about Microtia and Atresia in hopes that everyone will learn a little bit about this congenital birth condition.

To help raise awareness, the Ear Community Organization has some awareness items available for November 9th:

Order deadline for the United States is October 25th, 2017.
– To order Ear Community National Awareness Day t-shirts, click here.
– To order National Microtia Awareness Day awareness bracelets (vintage Swarovski and more), click here.
– To order National Microtia Awareness Day awareness ribbons, pins, and car decals, click here.

For t-shirts, your orders can be placed through the MicrotiaTees website.
For the bracelets, decals, and wrist bands you can order through the Ear Community DONATE link (see directions on how to order via each item).We are excited to raise awareness together with everyone on November 9th!

National Microtia Awareness Day Ribbon for Ear Community Organization – November 9th, 2017.

Approximately one child in every 9,000 (in the United States) is born with Microtia (when the ear(s) do not fully develop during the 1st trimester of pregnancy). Often affecting one ear or both ears, Microtia is diagnosed at birth, but there is no understanding as to why Microtia occurs. Facial challenges, hearing loss and the longing for social acceptance are some of the daily concerns for those who are born with Microtia. Children are born into this world not knowing they are any different from anyone else. Many with Microtia share similar stories of curious stares, bullying, or awkwardness. Individual personalities, social conditioning, available treatments and bullying all impact how every child develops and copes as an adult. By removing unnecessary boundaries and replacing them with resources, tools, and support, we can eliminate bullying and clear the way for an even more successful future.

It is the intention of Microtia Awareness Day to help promote public awareness. As the mother of a child who has microtia, and the founder of Ear Community, Melissa Tumblin’s hope is that families who have new babies born with microtia will leave the hospital armed with more answers than questions, and their dreams for their children intact. “I think that if more people learn about microtia and atresia, that they will be kinder and more accepting. It is also my intention for anyone who is born without an ear(s) to realize that they are not alone. Through this national day, they can find out about organizations and resources for information and support.” Since 2010, the Ear Community Organization has brought over 8,000 people together from around the world at the organization’s events making it possible to share experiences and resources. The community is made up of not only children and adults with Microtia and their families, but teachers, advocates, and medical professionals from around the world who foster awareness and assistance for this amazing group of people. Board members for Ear Community either have the condition themselves or a family member who does, so they have close personal experience with the obstacles from a myriad of perspectives.

Celebrate with us on National Microtia Awareness Day on November 9th, 2017.

Thank you and you are not alone with Microtia and Atresia.
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

Filed Under: Events, History

Cochlear announces the release of the Baha SoundArc – an exciting new non-surgical bone conduction device

September 18, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

18 September 2017

Today, Cochlear, the global leader in bone conduction hearing solutions, announced the commercial availability of the new Cochlear™ Baha^® SoundArc – a stylish, comfortable and effective device that will allow people to hear like never before.

The Baha SoundArc is a new hearing solution for people who live with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss or single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD). It is a non-surgical behind-the-head band that works together with all of Cochlear’s Baha 5 sound processors.

“All previous non-surgical devices have used the head or ears to aid in retention. With the Baha SoundArc we needed to find a way to deliver excellent sound quality, power performance and fit all different head shapes and sizes – without compromising on comfort. This makes the SoundArc really quite unique” relates Mats Dotevall, Director of Design & Development at Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB (CBAS).

Excellent results reported from first clinical experiences

The Baha SoundArc’s user satisfaction was tested during a first experience program in a number of selected clinics in the UK from April to June 2017. The reported results were excellent, with an overall satisfaction rating of more than 85% in take home trials.

“We are very pleased with both the patients’ and the professionals’ responses to the SoundArc,” says Rom Mendel, President of Acoustics at Cochlear. “In the demo setting, the SoundArc scored an average of at least four out of five in all the important areas that really matter to our customers: comfort, sound quality, aesthetics, retention, ease-of-use and speech understanding. Even people with more severe levels of hearing loss and SSD can benefit from the technology, not just those with pure conductive hearing loss.”

More people expected to try bone conduction hearing

As a trial device, the discreet Baha SoundArc has an opportunity to make testing bone conduction more appealing. Although conventional demo devices, such as a head band and test band, work well in a clinical setting, they are not designed for use in everyday situations.

Jane Bevan, Clinical scientist in Audiology from the Countess of Chester Hospital in the UK, whose clinic was part of the first experience program, explains why she believes the SoundArc will entice more people to test bone conduction.

“The demo devices that are currently available haven’t changed much, and they do have some limitations. What impressed me about the SoundArc is its sleek, modern design and I am confident that our patients will really appreciate that. I had a teenage patient who was looking at a Baha System as a potential option, but she wasn’t keen on wearing the existing demo devices in school. But when I gave her the SoundArc she was very happy to give it a go.”

Giving children more options to hear

Since 2002 the Baha Softband has been an excellent, longer-term option for children who are too young or not ready for a bone conduction implant. It has provided tens of thousands of children the amplification they need to hear from an early age.

With the introduction of the Baha SoundArc, Cochlear is adding to its broad portfolio of hearing options for children. “For us it’s not about a one-size fits all approach, it’s about innovating and making sure our customers have options that fit both their lifestyle and their stage in life” continues Rom Mendel.

The new Cochlear Baha SoundArc is CE marked and FDA cleared. Availability will differ from country to country, beginning September 15, 2017. Please check the availability in your country with your local Cochlear office.

Facts about the Cochlear Baha SoundArc:

Available in four sizes (S, M, L , XL)
Adaptable to fit different head shapes and sizes
Unilateral and bilateral options

About bone conduction systems

Bone conduction systems are a proven medical option for adults and children with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, and single-sided sensorineural deafness meeting the candidacy criteria. While a hearing aid tries to push sound through the damaged part of the ear, bone conduction systems bypass the damaged area and send sound directly to the inner ear. They are designed to help those who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids hear and communicate more effectively.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of 3,000 people and invests more than AUD$120 million a year in research and development. Products include hearing systems for cochlear, bone conduction and acoustic implants. Over 450,000 people of all ages, across more than 100 countries, now hear because of Cochlear.

Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB is a division of Cochlear Ltd and the world leader in bone conduction hearing solutions. Situated in Mölnlycke, outside Gothenburg, Sweden, the head office employs approximately 250 people to develop, manufacture and support Baha^® and Vistafix^® products.

Media Contact

Nicholas Feeney
Senior Marketing Communications Manager
Cochlear BAS
P: (+46) 766 498589
Email: nfeeney@cochlear.com

Filed Under: Events, History

Happy 40th Anniversary to Cochlear….Meet the team behind Baha 5

September 12, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

September 11, 2017 by The Baha Blog administrator

Meet the Team

The Baha® 5 and Baha® 5 Power sound processors are developed, designed and shipped from Sweden worldwide, but did you know they are also manufactured and assembled here too? The concept, design, development, testing, manufacturing, packing and logistics are all done under one roof! Meet some of the great people who work together to design, test and manufacture the Baha System.

The Production Team

These are the people who make sure that all details are perfectly put in place so that the sound processors meet all requirements. It takes less than thirty minutes to produce one sound processor, and every fourth minute a new unit is packed and ready to be shipped!

The Research and Applications Team

Our team of audiologists and acoustical engineers are the ones who make sure that the Baha 5 sound processors and accessories are adapted to the specific needs of the recipients. How do they do this?

By meeting hundreds of people every year to evaluate the hearing performance and benefits of the implant systems. They also manage sponsored clinical trials of the Baha system at clinics all around the world, including the largest ever clinical investigation undertaken for bone conduction hearing implants – an ongoing project that involves seven countries across Europe!

The Design & Development Team

Our Implant Engineers and Acoustic System Engineers are a small part of the team who design, develop and test our implants and sound processors, making sure that each individual component is fine tuned and works together as an entire Baha System.

The Product Management Team

Have you ever wondered how the features of your sound processor and implant have been developed to meet your needs?

Our Product Managers have a fundamental role in ensuring the voice of the customer is at the centre of all sound processor and the implant system development. From meeting with users, audiologists, ENT surgeons and educating professionals, to establishing close collaborations with research teams all around the world, they help drive product innovation that makes a difference to the lives of the people who rely on a Baha System to hear each day.

Happy 40 years anniversary from our entire team at Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions in Sweden!

Filed Under: Events, History

Helping Joey hear better just in time for school

August 15, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Joey Ordonez of Texas is thankful to hear better thanks to receiving his donated hearing device from Stephen Weiss of Pennsylvania. July 2017

Stephen Weiss, a CPA in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania was excited to upgrade his current hearing device to a newer model. When Stephen upgraded, he wanted to donate his current hearing device to a charity organization where his hearing device could go on to help someone else hear better. After receiving his new Oticon Medical Ponto Power Plus 3, Stephen found the Ear Community Organization to donate his gently used Ponto Plus to that he had used for less than one year. With Stephen’s donated Ponto being newer and in excellent condition, Ear Community was able to find a child who could benefit from Stephen’s donated Ponto.

Lorraine Ordonez was hopeful that she could find help obtaining a hearing device for her son, Joey, who was born with Microtia and Atresia of his left ear. Lorraine had applied through her family’s insurance provider for a hearing device for Joey, but they were denied coverage for a hearing device. Knowing that Joey was struggling with his hearing loss, Lorraine was trying to figure out how to obtain a hearing device for her son so he could hear better. As a member of the Ear Community Organization, Lorraine belongs to the organization’s Gently Used Bone Conduction Hearing Device group on Facebook and saw a post come across for a hearing device that was being donated through the organization. Lorraine is very excited that she was able to obtain this gently used hearing device for Joey. Lorraine told Joey that he would hear better soon because he was finally getting a hearing device.

Joey was fitted with his donated Ponto Plus (made by Oticon Medical) this August thanks to Stephen’s donation. Joey and Lorraine are so thankful for this gift of hearing! Thank you to Stephen Weiss for searching for a charity organization where he knew he would be given the opportunity to give back to someone else in the community so they could hear better with his hearing device. Our story is the first to let Stephen know that his donated hearing device went to a little boy named Joey. Thanks to Stephen’s donation, Joey is now able to hear better and be ready for preschool where he can hear his very best. Thank you Stephen for your donation and for helping pay it forward so a child could hear better who was unable to afford a hearing device.

Joey is pictured wearing his donated Ponto Plus from Stephen. Lorraine wishes to thank the Ear Community organization for all that it does for Microtia and Atresia babies.

: Stephen Weiss

: The gently used donated Ponto Plus from Stephen that is helping Joey hear better.

Filed Under: Events, History

Helping Kavya hear better with the help of Oticon Medical and the Ear Community Organization

August 2, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Kavya Sharma of New Delhi, India received 2 new Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices on June 5th, 2017 through the Ear Community Organization.

Ear Community is honored to introduce everyone to our latest Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing device recipient, adorable Kavya Sharma! Kavya is almost two years old and lives in New Delhi, India with her father Ajay and mother Savita. Kavya was born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia, as well as Hemifacial Microsomia and a hole in her heart. She had a rough start, and spent a lot time in the hospital with feeding tubes and oxygen therapy.

Savita reached out to Ear Community in the Spring of 2017, asking if there was any way for us to help her daughter to hear. At this time, most of Kavya’s other health related issues have been resolved, but she still couldn’t hear. With bilateral Microtia and Atresia, Kavya could not hear her parents tell her that they love her, she struggled with speech development; and Savita worried about how Kavya would develop friendships and how she would be able to learn at school. She took Kavya to a specialist in Delhi where it was suggested that a bone conduction device could help Kavya to hear and speak because she was not speaking at all.

On June 5^th, 2017, Ear Community is proud to have donated two brand new Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices to Kavya so she can have full access to sound. Thanks to Dr. Niraj Kumar at the AIMS hospital in Safdarjung, Delhi, India for donating the time to fit the devices to Kavya. He has spent so much time helping Kavya and her family gain the auditory tools she needs. This precious little girl has already struggled to get to where she is, and we are thrilled to be able to help her on her journey.

Ear Community would like to thank Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing for Oticon Medical US, for giving our organization the opportunity to help Kavya hear better. A very special thank you to Beverly Ostrowski of Oticon Medical for helping work with us to improve lives with better hearing. Thank you to Ear Community’s donors and to the friends and relatives to the late Curt Gorman (past President of Oticon Medical US) who have also helped make it possible for hearing device recipients, like beautiful little Kavya, receive the gift of hearing. Thank you Oticon Medical for helping donate hearing devices to charity organization’s like Ear Community so we can help children hear better! Thank you!

Congratulations, Kavya, now the world is completely open to you and you will be able to hear all of the beautiful sounds it has to offer. We are so happy that you can now hear your parent’s voices, and will be able to get the education you deserve.

: Kavya Sharma of New Delhi, India received 2 new Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices on June 5th, 2017 through the Ear Community Organization.

: Kavya and her father, Ajay, at her fitting when she received 2 Oticon Medical Ponto 3’s so she could hear better.

: Kavya Sharma of New Delhi, India wearing her newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3 Superpower hearing devices donated through Ear Community on June 5th, 2017.

The Ear Community Organization
www.EarCommunity.org

Filed Under: Events, History

Ear Community National Microtia Awareness Day bracelets are now available…

July 28, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin 2 Comments

Hi Everyone!
Our National Microtia Awareness Day bracelets are now available for purchase through our organization’s website at: www.EarCommunity.org/donate This is a fund raiser for our organization. We have a secure link for making a credit card donation. In the DESCRIPTION LINE, you can briefly put what you would like of the items below.

*** Order deadline for the United States is October 25th, 2017 ***
*** Order deadline for international orders is now over ***

Below are the awareness bracelet items that our organization offers:
*** Our Microtia Awareness t-shirts are also available! For orders in the US, order by October 25th. For orders outside of the US, order by Sept. 30th. Order Ear Community National Microtia Awareness t’s here.

Many of you have been inquiring over the past months about purchasing our organization’s Microtia awareness items to show your support for our cause for Microtia and Atresia. We now have beautiful hand made Swarovski beaded bracelets available, including bangle bracelets, and awareness wrist bands. These items will help us raise awareness for Microtia and Atresia all everyday or so you can have them for our National Microtia Awareness Day on November 9th.

As a fund raiser to our Ear Community Organization, we have the following jewelry items now available (see labeled images):

*** Deadline for all orders in the US is October 25th and outside of the US is September 30th. ***

1. The Microtia Awareness vintage bracelet made of Swarovski blue and white beads with silver accents and one ear charm, heart charm, and ribbon charm. This bracelet is hand made and can be made to your size. Just measure your wrist and let me know your size in your donation order on the description line. Otherwise, the standard size is a little over 7″. This bracelet costs $50.00/ea.

2. The personalized Microtia Awareness vintage bracelet made of Swarovski beads and pearls with silver accents, birth stones, name, and one ear charm, heart charm, and ribbon charm. This bracelet is hand made. You will need to provide me with information on the size, name, and birth stones in the description line along with the rest of your order. This bracelet is $60.00/ea.

3. The Microtia Awareness bangle bracelet with Microtia blue heart and ear charm and white and silver beads. This bangle is a size 8″. This is the only size these come. This bracelet costs $45.00/ea.

4. Microtia and Atresia Awareness wrist bands with EarCommunity.org and our awareness ribbon on it. A minimum order of 20 for $20.00.

* This pricing on all four bracelets includes shipping for the US only. If you live outside of the US, you will need to send me an e-mail directly at EarCommunity@gmail.com letting me know what your shipping address is. I’ll let you know how much the approximate shipping will be and you can decide from there.

* To make your donation order, place your order through Ear Community’s secure donation link at: http://earcommunity.org/donate/ In the DESCRIPTION LINE, please briefly state what you would like:
Example: 1 bling car, 2 non-bling pins, 1 awareness bracelet, 1 personalized (Lucy) emerald, size 6″ ( (see next post). Then, make sure your total is correct before finishing your order.

* All proceeds go to the Ear Community Organization. You will receive a generated thank you e-mail for your donation that you can use for your tax deduction records for end of year.

Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

: Hand made Microtia Awareness bracelet for $50/ea includes shipping for the US.

: Close up of the Awareness bracelet with blue and clear Swarovski beads. $50.00/ea includes shipping in the US.

: Personalized vintage Microtia personalized bracelets for $60.00/ea includes shipping in the US. Outside of the US, contact me at EarCommunity@gmail.com for additional shipping costs.

: Personalized vintage bracelet made of Swarovski beads, silver accents, pearls, name, and charms. $60/ea includes shipping in the US.

: Close up of personalized bracelet for $60.00/ea includes shipping for the US. If outside of the US, please contact me at EarCommunity@gmail.com so I can provide you with extra shipping costs.

: Microtia blue bangle bracelet 8″ wrist size for $45.00/ea includes shipping in the US. If outside of the US, contact me at EarCommunity@gmail.com for additional shipping costs before placing your order.

: Microtia awareness bangle bracelet for $45.00/ea includes shipping in the US.

: Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Awareness wrist bands. 20 for $20.00. Minimum of 20. Includes shipping for US. If outside, please contact me at EarCommunity@gmail.com for additional shipping costs.

Filed Under: Events, History

Ear Community National Microtia Awareness Day items are now available…

July 28, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Hi Everyone!
Our National Microtia Awareness Day items are now available for purchase through our organization’s website at: www.EarCommunity.org/donate This is a fund raiser for our organization. We have a secure link for making a credit card donation. In the DESCRIPTION LINE, you can briefly put what you would like of the items below.

*** Order deadline for the United States is October 25th, 2017 ***
*** Order deadline for international orders is now over ***

Many of you have been inquiring over the past months about purchasing our organization’s Microtia awareness ribbons as bumper stickers, static clings, brooch pins, and car decals to help raise awareness for Microtia and Atresia and so you can have them for our National Microtia Awareness Day on November 9th.

As a fund raiser to our Ear Community Organization, we have the following items now available (see labeled images):

1. Awareness Ribbon window/bumper sticker – $25.00/ea
2. Awareness Ribbon static cling that can be put on windows, microwaves/fridges, laptops, coffee mugs, etc… – $25.00/ea
3. Awareness Ribbon non-bling brooch pin – $35.00/ea
4. Awareness Ribbon bling brooch pin – $45.00/ea
5. Awareness Ribbon bling window car decal – $45.00

* The above pricing includes shipping for the US only.
__________________________________________________
Our beautiful Microtia Awareness ribbon was designed by Mark Johnson who’s daughter, Eva, was born w/Microtia and Atresia. Our beautiful bling and non-bling brooches and bling car decals were hand made by Elizabeth Bunting. Elizabeth’s Granddaughter, Hannah, was born w/Microtia and Atresia and when she heard about our National Microtia Awareness Day and our ribbon, she jumped at the chance to make these ribbons!
Elizabeth is known for putting the bling in the Dallas Cowboy cheerleader outfits. Our ribbons have that same bling! Elizabeth makes many of these same awareness items for the NFL and for other nonprofit organizations supporting Breast Cancer, Lupus, Leukemia, Brain Tumor, and the Military. Thank you Elizabeth! Our awareness ribbons are beautiful!
___________________________________________________

IMPORTANT ORDER INFORMATION:
* The prices above include shipping for the US only. If you live outside of the US, you will need to send me an e-mail directly at EarCommunity@gmail.com letting me know what your shipping address is. I’ll let you know how much the approximate shipping will be and you can decide from there.
* Deadline for all donation orders outside of the US is September 30th and inside the US is October 25th.
* To make your donation order, place your order through Ear Community’s secure donation link at: http://earcommunity.org/donate/ In the DESCRIPTION LINE, please briefly state what you would like:
Example: 1 bling car, 2 non-bling pins, 1 bracelet (see next post). Then, make sure your total is correct before finishing your order.

* All proceeds go to the Ear Community Organization. You will receive a generated thank you e-mail for your donation that you can use for your tax deduction records for end of year.

Ear Community

: $25/ea…includes shipping only in the United States. If outside of the US, contact me via e-mail for additional shipping costs at EarCommunity@gmail.com

: Close up of window/bumper sticker

: $25/ea…includes shipping only in the United States. If outside of the US, contact me via e-mail for additional shipping costs at EarCommunity@gmail.com

: Close up of static cling.

: $35/ea…includes shipping only in the United States. If outside of the US, contact me via e-mail for additional shipping costs at EarCommunity@gmail.com

: Close up of non-bling brooch pin.

: $45/ea…includes shipping only in the United States. If outside of the US, contact me via e-mail for additional shipping costs at EarCommunity@gmail.com

: Close up of bling brooch pin.

: $45/ea…includes shipping only in the United States. If outside of the US, contact me via e-mail for additional shipping costs at EarCommunity@gmail.com

: Close up of bling car decal.

: Bling car decal on car window.

Filed Under: History, Uncategorized

New clinic focuses on patients with rare ear malformations

July 6, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Members of the new clinic for patients with microtia and aural atresia include (front row, from left) Brittney Baugh, Sharon Johnson, R.N., Margaret McRedmond, Au.D., (back row, from left) Ron Eavey, M.D., Scott Fiscus, BCO, Scott Stephan, M.D., Sivakumar Chinnadurai, M.D., and Alejandro Rivas, M.D. (photo by Anne Rayner)

by Matt Batcheldor | Thursday, Jun. 8, 2017, 10:16 AM

Having a child born without an external ear or ear canal can be a scary and confusing experience for parents, and finding medical care for the rare condition has meant having to travel to several distant medical centers for treatment options.

But now the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center has launched a multidisciplinary clinic for patients with microtia and aural atresia, enabling families to meet with the Vanderbilt clinicians who provide all treatment options for the condition under one roof, on one day. The clinic experience is coordinated by Brittney Baugh and assisted by Sharon Stringer Johnson, R.N.

Microtia and aural atresia are rare, yet highly visible, congenital malformations of the outer and middle ear that affect about one in 7,000 to 10,000 children. Those with the condition can have little or no external ear and no ear canal formed.

“The malformation on the outer ear can come in many forms, from a slightly misshapen top of the ear to the complete absence of any cartilage or skin, with perhaps just an ear lobe present,” said Scott Stephan, M.D., assistant professor of Otolaryngology.

“The ear canal can go from having no opening whatsoever to having a little opening or even having a very tiny ear canal that still is not good enough to transmit sound to the hearing organ, which is in the inner ear,” said Alejandro Rivas, M.D., associate professor of Otolaryngology and Neurological Surgery.

One external ear reconstruction treatment is to recreate the outer ear out of the patient’s own rib cartilage, which is offered by Sivakumar Chinnadurai, M.D., associate professor of Otolaryngology. Another method is soft tissue reconstruction, such as that offered by Ron Eavey, M.D., Guy M. Maness Professor and chair of Otolaryngology and director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center. A newer technique, using an ear-shaped implant covered by the patient’s own tissue, is offered by Stephan. And cutting-edge prosthetics are offered in partnership with Scott Fiscus, BCO, at Precision Ocular Prosthetics in Nashville.

Ear reconstruction — as shown in the before and after photos above — is one of the treatment options available at Vanderbilt’s new clinic for patients with microtia and aural atresia.

Rivas is available to consult on surgical options for hearing restoration in patients with aural atresia, including atresia repair and other implantable technology. Together with audiologist Margaret McRedmond, Au.D., they work hand in hand assisting patients with hearing solutions and devices.

“This interdisciplinary clinic allows me to meet families that may be coming in for reconstructive reasons but I can educate them about how we might be able to help their child hear better too,” McRedmond said.

Added Chinnadurai, “Microtia and atresia are complex and sometimes daunting problems for new parents. It is important for families to get connected early on to understand that they have many excellent options to help their children and we strive to be a resource for families to be able to make the best decision for their child and family.”

In addition to treatment options, Vanderbilt is working to create a community for families of patients with the rare condition by hosting a yearly patient/family oriented conference and picnic, such as the one held last summer.

“The nice thing about that is that there is a good interaction between families,” Rivas said. “When you meet the families of these patients, they all want to know what are the differences and kind of have a personal view of how their cases went and what to expect. In a way, it’s a different way to be able to teach them and orient them on what is the right decision for their children.”

Stephan said the clinic tries to help children as early as possible, for several reasons.
“Children with microtia and atresia have to cope with both hearing impairment in the early years of language development, as well as the social and psychological impact of a congenital malformation that makes them different from their peers.”

Melissa Tumblin is excited about the new clinic. Tumblin founded earcommunity.org, a website devoted to helping individuals who were born with microtia and atresia, and is a consultant for VUMC in the development of the new clinic. She founded the online community after her daughter, Ally, now 7, was born with microtia and atresia and initially found a dearth of information from doctors treating her child.

She said the combined atresia-microtia clinic will offer the best care to both local and international audiences.

“I am looking forward to the new clinic helping so many families” she said. “It’s not just for me, it’s not just for my daughter — it’s for every family who has a loved one with microtia and atresia who would like to know what all of their options are and find the answers they are looking for. I am proud to be a part of the new clinic that is being offered at Vanderbilt.”

Eavey said, “Very few clinicians take on the challenge of caring for these wonderful patients, which creates a geographic challenge for families to engage with experienced individuals in various parts of the country. I have been serving microtia and atresia patients since the 1980s and the talent and the breadth of reconstruction and hearing solutions that we have assembled here at Vanderbilt is unmatched anywhere on the planet — to my knowledge. Historically, from research efforts we have determined that microtia is partially genetic in origin and we later described the first gene.

“We want to learn even more about this condition and anticipate that our systemization efforts will optimize clinical care, educational opportunities and discovery results for these special families,” Eavey said.

Media Inquiries:
Matt Batcheldor, (615) 322-4747
matt.batcheldor@vanderbilt.edu

Filed Under: Events, History

Helping Malosi hear his best thanks to Ear Community and Oticon Medical

June 2, 2017 By Melissa Tumblin Leave a Comment

Malosi hearing sound better for the first time with a donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3 SuperPower sound processor on May 19th, 2017.

Ear Community is excited to share this sweet story about a little boy named Malosi Sualua who was born with Left Microtia and Atresia. Malosi is 4 and lives in Laguna Beach, CA with his two older sisters and parents, Heidi and Leie. Malosi means “strength” in Samoan and his mother, Heidi, says that the name really suits him. “He is tough, he is sweet, and he is smart.” When Malosi was born, his parents were given conflicting information about what the next steps would be. They were told things like “he only needs one good ear” and “you must get a BAHA on him or he will lose speech and development”. During the early days when Malosi was just an infant, Heidi and Leie couldn’t just enjoy their precious little boy, they had to face their new reality and try to go from there.

In February, this year, Heidi reached out to Ear Community. She needed someone to talk to who understood what she was going through with her adorable little boy. After exchanging e-mails and a phone call, we knew that Ear Community needed to help. Through the https://www.oticonmedical.usincredible connections with Oticon Medical, Ear Community was able to secure a Ponto 3 Super Power on a soft band head band for Malosi. On May 19^th, 2017, Malosi went to his audiologist, Dr. Maria Abramson at the Hear Now Abramson Audiology in Laguna Beach and received a brand new Oticon Ponto 3 Super Power device and soft band. When Malosi first had his Ponto on, Dr. Abramson whispered, “Malosi, I love you” into his left side. He whipped his head around and said, “What’s that?!” Malosi and his family were also able to be introduced to the Oticon Medical Rep, Megan Everson, who gave him his very own Oticon Monkey (complete with a Ponto on, just like Malosi) and played with Malosi while Dr. Abramson went over the details with his mom, Heidi. Each day he is wearing it longer and longer, and discovering more sounds as he goes. Heidi said that he likes to put his hand over the Ponto and say, “it’s working!” – he is clearly excited to experience ‘surround sound’ finally.

Ear Community would like to thank Jared Schnackenberg, President of Oticon Medical US, and Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing for Oticon Medical US, for giving our organization the opportunity to help Malosi hear better. A very special thank you to Beverly Ostrowski of Oticon Medical for helping work with us to improve lives with better hearing. We would also like to extend a warm thank you to Malosi’s Audiologist, Maria Abramson, AuD at Hear Now Abramson Audiology in Laguna Beach for working with Ear Community to help Malosi. Thank you to Ear Community’s donors and to the friends and relatives to the late Curt Gorman (past President of Oticon Medical US) who have also helped make it possible for hearing device recipients, like little Malosi, receive the gift of hearing.

As Malosi continues to grow and go to school, his Ponto 3 Super Power is going to give him equal access to the sound he needs to succeed throughout his education and life. Ear Community has been honored to work with the Sualua family and be able to help Malosi hear better. Heidi said that she couldn’t tell us what a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. That the entire experience, from the first phone call to receiving Malosi’s Ponto 3 Super Power has just filled her heart with so much gratitude. We are so happy for Malosi and his entire family, and can’t wait to see how he grows. Good luck, Malosi, may all your dreams come true and may you enjoy all the beautiful sounds this world has to offer!

: Malosi, age 4, from Laguna Beach, CA, born with Microtia and Atresia of his left ear was fitted on May 19th, 2017 with a donated Ponto 3 Superpower from Oticon Medical through the Ear Community Organization.

Filed Under: Events, History

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Helping Malosi hear his best thanks to Ear Community and Oticon Medical

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