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
Thirteen beautiful years of paving the way for Microtia and Atresia families, advocacy and awareness and so much more! On May 20th, 2010, I sat down at my laptop and decided to make a difference in the world by helping other families just like ours. We’ve come a long way since that first day of starting the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook!
During the first week of May, the CARE Study Research Team attended the ACPA, American Cleft Palate Association, conference in Raleigh, North Carolina! Our CARE Team has been working on our grant project for the past four years and was finally able to come together in person! Our research team did an amazing job at the conference presenting nearly 20 total presentations, including presenting during the poster session. Our team’s presentations included feeding techniques to what the caregiver’s concerns are as well as surgical options from medical providers. We also enjoyed visiting the Dental School at Chapel Hill where we had an all day meeting!
The CARE Team is comprised of a interdisciplinary group of more than 20 members from 7 countries including members who are advocates, researchers, and healthcare providers. Our team works out of two primary sites – Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the University of Bristol, West England in the UK. Our research team also includes a number of subcommittees and an Advisory Council as well. Ear Community is proud to represent the microtia and atresia community during this grant project! 
Our research team includes the following members: Dr. Carrie Heike, Dr. Ameilia Drake, Dr. Kelley Evans, Dr. Craig Birgfeld, Dr. Maarten Koudstaal, Dr. Christy McKinney, Dr. Leanne Magee, Dr. Nicola Stock, Dr. Alessia Johns, Dr. Jade Parnell,
While at the American Cleft Palate Association conference, we were fortunate enough to meet some pretty amazing people! – Advocates and partner nonprofit organizations as well as getting the chance to catch up with some amazing medical professionals that Ear Community has gotten to know over the years! 
Amelia Drake from Chapel Hill and Roger Rickard of VoicesInAdvocacy who has been incredibly supportive in advocating for important pieces of legislation like Ally’s Act, H.R. 2439/ S. 1135 that matter to the communities we serve! A special thank you to the ACPA for sharing about Ally’s Act, H.R. 2439 & S. 1135 during the opening reception and throughout the entire conference! It was also great to finally meet the members of the ACPA Advocacy Board during our meeting!
