On January 27, 2012, I received a call from an Early Intervention service provider called Chatter Pillar Kids in Denver asking to attend our summer picnic scheduled for July 21st and also inquiring about our group’s new website, Ear Community.  Chatter Pillar Kids is an ideal organization as they provide speech, occupational, and physical therapy including pediatric counseling and psychologists and helpful resources for hearing loss and much, much more!  Thank you ChatterPillarKids for embracing our support group and new website!  http://www.Chatterpillarkids.com

On January 20, 2012, I was asked by a researcher and her committee of parent advocates if our new website and support group could be included in a new helpful resource guide that will soon be available.  I am not only honored to have been asked for Ear Community to be included in this new helpful guide for parents, but I am also proud to know that more parent advocates are helping and giving back to the community through education and support.  Advocacy is a wonderful thing.  Thank you for including Ear Community.

Also on January 16, 2012, I received an e-mail from AudiologyOnline, http://www.audiologyonline.com/, asking to link to our new website when it launches.  What an honor to know that a global audiology organization is excited for our new website and appreciates the passion about hearing loss in our support group.  Thank you Audiology Online for your support!

On January 16, 2012 I receive a message from an audiologist letting me know that our support group was “spotlighted” by the Educational Audiology Association, the EAA.  This was very exciting news not just for our support group, but we also had over 20 audiologists join our group over the next couple of days.  Thank you for your support EAA!  http://www.edaud.org/

On December 21, 2011, I received an e-mail from Dr. Greg O’Toole of the UK (world renown Rib Graft surgeon) sharing some information with me including a video of one of his patients, named Ethan, who was born with Microtia.  Thank you Dr. O’Toole for your kind message and for embracing our global support group.  Thank you!

On November 20, 2011, our support group turned 1.5 years old!  When founded on May 20, 2010 I was our group’s first member.  Since then, we have grown to have over 2,500 global members (including anonymous members) total.  According to our support group’s Facebook statistics, we have had nearly 1 million post views in the past 1.5 yar period alone and have members belonging from over 45 countries.

In November of 2011, I was invited to a meeting with marketing at Cochlear to discuss how Cochlear could help our support group.  We discussed the global picnics and we also discussed the launch of the new website.  Cochlear is excited to help our support group bring families together at our picnics too.  It was a very nice meeting and I appreciate Cochlear also wanting to help promote awareness about Microtia and Atresia through our picnics.  Thank you for supporting our support group and its members and for being there for all of us in trying to help bring all of us together so we can share experiences.  Thank you!

In November, I also had a very nice phone call with Sophono discussing our group’s summer picnics and Sophono is thrilled to participate.  Thank you Sophono for helping me bring families together and learn about “all” of their options. 

During the month of October, 2011, our support group hosts its 2nd Annual Secret Santa Gift Exchange.  In 2011, our Secret Santa Gift Exchange became a global gift exchange.   Our group also continues to become more and more global everyday helping families and medical professionals around the world.

On October, 26 2011, a group and I met with Donna Sorkin, Vice President of Consumer Affairs for Cochlear, George Cire (renown audiologist and BAHA expert), and Tara Oneill (insurance specialist for the rocky mountain region).  Other members of the group at the meeting that night included Dr. Cheryl Johnson (one of Colorado’s top audiologists), Lyn Bopp (guide by your side representative for the Hands & Voices Organization) and Debbie Mohney (Coordinator for Colorado for the Hearing Loss Association) including a family with a child who has Microtia/Atresia and wears a BAHA among other members representing Cochlear and insurance specialists.  The goal behind this meeting is to try and help get Colorado Medicaid coverage for BAHAs.  Currently, Colorado as a state is not recognized through Medicaid services to cover BAHA products for infants to age five.  More meetings will be scheduled with attorneys and Medicaid personnel in hopes of establishing Medicaid coverage for the BAHA and younger children who have a unilateral/bilateral hearing loss.