Melissa Tumblin of the Ear Community Organization honored with the Legacy Award from the Give An Ear Foundation.

November 20, 2023
Thank you to the Give An Ear Foundation for honoring me with the Legacy Award for the Microtia community of South Africa this weekend!

Two of the very first picnics Ear Community hosted years ago helped bring our microtia families together in Johannesburg when there was no help or information for the microtia and atresia community! Ear Community also donated the first three Ponto Bone Anchored Hearing Aids with the help of Oticon Medical to the Give An Ear Foundation to help children with hearing loss in Johannesburg.

Thank you to my friend, Viola, for honoring me this weekend within the South African community through the Give an Ear Foundation she has created to help the microtia community and for carrying on the torch in South Africa!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

Imogene Gilbert, bilateral atresia, 4 year old recipient of (2) Oticon Medical Ponto 5 Minis, November of 2023, Minnesota.

November 7, 2023
Ear Community is proud to help another child hear & obtain two bone anchored hearing devices during our week of awareness on November 7th!

Meet Imogene!
Imogene is a sweet 4 year old little girl from Minnesota! Now that Imogene is at an age where she can communicate better, she began turning the TV up to max volume & saying she can’t hear! Her mom, Amanda, became concerned & made an appointment with her pediatrician. After waiting for months to meet with an audiologist, Imogene was able to try on a bone anchored hearing aid. Her face lit up & she could hear everyone! Finally, during an appointment w/Imogene’s ENT, they discovered she wasn’t hearing because she was missing both ear canals according to her CT! Imagine how shocking this was to Imogene’s parents, hearing this for the first time & realizing their sweet daughter hasn’t been hearing for the first four years of her life as they imagined she was!

Once receiving two loaner bone anchored hearing devices from their audiologist, Imogene & her family were amazed how well she could hear! Imogene repeated every word the audiologist said & even exclaimed, “I can hear myself talking”! When their audiologist reached out to insurance for two Oticon Medical Pontos, again – to their surprise, their insurance (BCBS) denied Imogene both hearing devices! Amanda & her husband were shocked to discover their insurance plan excluded coverage for bone conductive hearing devices! Their insurer would pay for in-the-ear hearing aids & cochlear implants, but not a bone anchored hearing device! Imogene’s family was left floored! Thinking – “How can they possibly deny a four year old the ability to hear because her anatomy that causes hearing loss requires a different kind of hearing aid?”

Thankfully, Amanda & Imogene & their family found the Ear Community Organization which happily donated two NEW Ponto 5 Mini bone anchored hearing devices thanks to Oticon Medical! Imogene’s audiologist, Dr. Cynthia Hogan of the Mayo Clinic, fitted Imogene’s two new Pontos too!

Imogene continues to shine & thrive! Thank you to Oticon Medical for giving the gift of hearing through Ear Community!

Ally’s Act, H.R. 2439/S. 1135 must pass! We are asking the community and all advocates to please champion Ally’s Act!
Thank you.
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

Jaytee Savage, Oticon Medical Ponto recipient and Pax’s Ear Fund recipient, September 1, 2023, Colorado.

September 1, 2023
Ear Community had the opportunity to help another community member hear with a bone anchored hearing device after being denied by his insurance provider.

Meet Jaytee! Jaytee was born w/bilateral microtia & atresia. Jaytee has struggled for the past 30 years with hearing loss in both of her ears, even though she reads lips well. However, she just could not continue struggling to hear everyday! On Friday, September 1st, Jaytee received the gift of hearing with a NEW Ponto 5 Superpower bone anchored hearing device from the Ear Community Organization, thanks to Oticon Medical ! Thank you to Jaytee’s audiologist, Dr. Jordan Belanger of the Marion Downs Center, for fitting & programming Jaytee’s new Ponto 5SP! Jaytee, we are so happy that you can finally hear so much better!

Jaytee is excited to begin a new career at the diversity & inclusion office for students w/disabilities at Metro State University! We know you will be able to help so many students feel included now, especially hearing your best with your Ponto! #BecauseSoundMatters

Over the years, Ear Community has partnered w/local hearing clinics when helping give the gift of hearing. It was great to collaborate again with the Marion Downs Center to help Jaytee w/his fitting/programming. It was especially nice to see a dear friend of mine – Dr. Sandra Abbott Gabbard, CEO & President of the Marion Down’s Center, during Jaytee’s appointment. Sandra is an amazing audiologist & advocate, she is a legend & I am proud to know her & her dedicated work to individuals w/hearing loss!

The state of Colorado is known for being a high advocacy state when it comes to hearing loss. Marion Downs was a distinguished professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She devoted her professional life to promoting early identification of hearing loss in newborns, infants, & young children. It is because of her that in 1963, she pioneered the 1st national infant hearing screening program in Denver, CO! Her success has resulted in a widespread national program, which makes the screening of newborn hearing a functioning preventative program in more than 40 states!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

Delaney Yates, Ear Community college scholarship recipient, August of 2023, Missouri University.

August 2023
Congratulations to Delaney Yates for being awarded our latest Ear Community college scholarship!

Delaney was born with microtia and atresia of her right ear and grew up on a farm in Iowa. She has been involved with sports and volunteering and shows cattle through 4-H Club. Delaney has learned to advocate for herself over the years, especially because of her hearing loss in her right ear. She makes sure she is seated in a good spot in classrooms so she can hear the teacher better, she is often use to turning her head to hear things and always asks questions if she feels she missed something.

Delaney’s inspiration is her biological mom, who was a CNA (certified nurses assistant). Delaney would like to become a nurse to honor her mom and because she saw how much her mom loved helping people. Delaney has been accepted to the University of Missouri and is excited to begin her college career! She also hopes to meet someone else in school who has microtia and atresia so someone else can understand how she feels with hearing loss in one ear and microtia.

Congratulations, Delaney! We are SO PROUD of YOU!!! You’ll become an amazing nurse, we just know it! Do great things, Delaney!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community

August 23, 2023
Welcome to Elizabeth Mazer! Liz has been a part of our organization for the past few years ever since her nephew, Barrett, was born with bilateral microtia and atresia. I have to say that Liz is an AMAZING person and I am so happy to have her in my life and to be a part of Ear Community!

Liz has helped with fundraising for Ear Community, she has helped to educate

Elizabeth Mazer, Auntie to her nephew, Barrett, who was born with BMA.

others about microtia and atresia and she has helped advocate for Ally’s Act over the years! In fact, Liz joined us during our Fly-In week during the last week of July to be with us on Capitol Hill. Liz met with her Congressman in person to ask him to cosponsor Ally’s Act! Liz is also an amazing donor to our cause and community!

Liz is a trader for an alternative asset manager in Virginia. Her nephew, Barrett, was born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia and is aided with two Oticon Ponto 5 Mini sound processors. Liz’s sister, Nicole (Barrett’s mom) is also an amazing mother, advocate and supporter of our cause and organization!

Please welcome Liz to our Ear Community Board!
Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Ear Community

Noelle McFarland, Ear Community Board Member

June 13, 2023
Meet Noelle! Noelle is an amazing advocate in our community! She was born with Microtia and Atresia of her right ear. She has not had reconstructive surgery, nor is she aided with a hearing device. And yet, she is an amazing ROCK STAR! Many of us in our community know her as a popular and well respected performing singer/songwriter! Noelle earned her music degree at the prestigious Belmont University in Nashville – proving how so many of our children and adults with Microtia and Atresia have a love for music!

Noelle has been a member of our Ear Community Organization for years! In fact, Noelle has performed at our Vanderbilt Ear Community Microtia and Atresia event in Nashville for the past three years now (excluding Covid). Even when Noelle’s parents found our support group, her family has been a part of our posts and events over the years and they have been wonderful supporters and donors to our organization as well.

Welcome to Ear Community in your new role, Noelle!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community

*** You can check out Noelle and her beautiful voice and music here!

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!
What better way to embrace this month of awareness than to help give back by helping someone in need with the gift of hearing!

Meet Eddie! Eddie lives in Washington state and was born with Grade IV microtia and aural atresia. Early on during childhood, Eddie had four surgeries to have his right ear reconstructed. After completing his fourth surgery, Eddie was informed of one more surgical option that could help restore his hearing in his right ear. However, without the same support systems during his last surgery, he was traumatized by the process and decided not to proceed with the final surgery that would allow him to hear.

As a musician, singer, songwriter – Eddie realized he was struggling with his hearing over the years. He recently decided to visit with an audiologist who shared about a hearing restoration solution that would help him hear better! Eddie was educated and informed about a bone anchored hearing system as an option that could help improve his hearing. After discovering this hearing device technology, he also discovered how expensive this hearing device is and that his insurance provider was not going to cover a bone anchored hearing system for him. Once again, Eddie was left feeling discouraged about finding a way to hear better. Thankfully, Eddie was told about the Ear Community Organization!

Eddie reached out to the Ear Community Organization asking for help obtaining a bone anchored hearing device. After discussing which option would be best for him, his audiologist suggested the Ponto 5 Mini by Oticon Medical. After trying on a bone anchored hearing device in his audiologist’s office, he realized how much he could hear! He also realized how much hearing he was missing out on! He reached out to the Ear Community Organization for help to obtain a Ponto 5 Mini. Ear Community proudly responded letting Eddie know that the organization would help him obtain a newly donated Ponto 5 Mini from Oticon Medical! Eddie had found a way that would allow him to hear fully for the first time in his life! All Eddie’s life, he’s lived only hearing out of his left ear. Now, he has the opportunity to begin a new journey toward getting a hearing device that will change that forever. Eddie is excited to finally hear as close to a typical person as he can! Eddie is also a recipient of Ear Community’s hearing fund called Pax’s Ear Fund where he was able to obtain support toward the fitting and programming fee for his new Ponto 5 Mini!

A special thank you to Oticon Medical for helping Eddie hear his best with a newly donated Ponto 5 Mini and thank you to Eddie’s audiologist, Dr. Anne Harvey, for educating and informing Eddie about how a bone anchored hearing system could improve his quality of life! A special thank you to the Gross Family Foundation for making Pax’s Ear Fund possible so together with Ear Community and audiologists, our organization can continue giving the gift of hearing to members within the microtia and atresia community! Eddie has chosen to be implanted with his Ponto 5 Mini and will be fitted this June! Most of all, a very special thank you to Eddie’s fiance, Elena, for being his rock, his support system and for encouraging him to take the next step to hearing better!

Congratulations on hearing your best, Eddie! Our organization and so many others are so happy that you can now focus on doing what you love in your career as a musician, singer, songwriter! #betterhearingandspeech  #betterhearingandspeechmonth2023
Thank you,
Melissa Tumblin
Executive Director
EarCommunity.org