Archives for June 2012

Our Texas Microtia and Atresia Summer Family Picnic was a huge success. Even though it poured rain with thunder and lightening the entire time, close to 90 people had a wonderful time and still found a way to have fun and share experiences with one another. There were little girls hula hooping in the rain and kiddos playing with each other having a blast. Parents had the opportunity to speak with one another and to see their kids play with other kids who have little ears too! Some kids and adults had surgery and some have not or have chosen not to and everyone was still able to share experiences. This was the first time for some families in meeting other families in the same situation. I would like to say a BIG thank you to Cochlear Americas, Oticon Medical, and Sophono for proudly sponsoring our Texas picnic! Our picnics would not be the picnics I envisioned them to be without your help and thank you for wanting to be a part of the Microtia/Atresia community! You have helped make our picnics fun for everyone with the activities provided and for our food and for our park location. Thank you also for bringing demo sound processors for everyone to try on.  At least two people were able to hear through a sound processor for the very first time at our Webster picnic. Thank you to Alex Goncarovs (West Coast Regional Sales Manager of Sophono), Kimberlee Griffey (Territory Sales Rep for Oticon), and Kirk (Territory Sales Rep for Cochlear) for being at our Texas picnic helping educate everyone about sound processors and on hearing loss!  I would also like to thank Oticon Medical for bringing a $10 iTunes card and an In-The-Ear Hearing Aid Dehumidifier that was raffled off to one lucky little girl. I would like to thank Dr. Arturo Bonilla and Dr. Russell Griffiths for attending our picnic as well and for speaking and mingling with families and individuals about Microtia and Atresia. I would like to thank Allison Vest and Colette Shrader (both anaplastologists) who not only helped educate families about prosthetic ears and brought lots of ear samples for everyone to see, but they also brought some help (Hannah and Sky) who face painted the kids and made balloon animals and the kids just loved that! Allison and Colette also had drawn diagrams on the cement explaining how a prosthetic ears fit and provided some side walk chalk for the kids. I would like to thank Build-A-Bear who donated a fully dressed/stuffed bear that was raffled off to one very lucky little boy. Thank you to Home Depot for donating 2 cases of bottled water and thank you to Sams for donating cupcakes for the kids and a cookie tray. Thank you to the SnoBall Hut for providing snowballs for the kids and to Texas Lite and Pyro who donated the bubble machine for the kids to have fun in. Thank you to Kelly Cardenas for taking pictures of our picnic so we could have the memories of this picnic forever.

I would also like to say a very special thank you to Melanie, Daniel and Nathaniel Mendoza and family and Laura, Jack and John Barzizza for hosting our First Microtia and Atresia picnic in Texas through Ear Community.  This was a chance for Melanie and Laura and their families to be able to give back to the Webster/Houston community and to be able to reach out and bring Microtia/Atresia families together. I am thankful for their help and for their friendships. I was told that Daniel (Melanie’s son) was so excited to show off his newly reconstructed ear (by Dr. Bonilla) to everyone and to help answer questions. He also enjoyed trying on the Cochlear processors in all of the different colors that are offered.  Daniel also enjoyed handing out pop corn to all of the kids and adults too!  Thank you to Nathaniel for running around to Sams and Home Depot and more asking for donations for our picnic. Again, I am so happy to know that more Microtia and Atresia families and individuals were able to come together at one of our picnics and learn about their options from the medical professionals who attended in a relaxed and stress free environment. Thank you for everyone for recognizing Ear Community as a helpful resource and as a place that brings families together to learn about all of their options regarding Microtia and Atresia.

Thank you so much!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder of Ear Community and the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook

With great pleasure I would like to thank Cochlear Americas, Oticon Medical and Sophono for sponsoring our summer picnic that was just held in Yonkers, New York for Microtia and Atresia families (including Hemifacial Microsomia, Treacher Collins and Goldenhar Syndrome families).  Our event would not have been possible if it were not for our sponsors.  Thanks to you for sponsoring our picnic, our kids had a wonderful time playing with each other, were able to enjoy some fun entertainment and activities and enjoy a delicious catered lunch.  Thank you also for helping educate our families more about hearing loss and the technology available that can help make hearing loss manageable.  I would also like to thank Oticon Medical for making it possible for me to be at the NY picnic so that I could meet so many of the families whom I have been speaking with since founding our support group.  Thank you!  A little over 100 people attended our picnic this Saturday!  We had families travel from Ohio, New Jersey and from all over the state of New York including a family from Columbia.  In addition to our families and individuals who attended our picnic, Dr. Thomas Romo and Dr. Russell Griffiths were also among our families.  Dr. Thomas Romo is one of NYC’s finest plastic surgeons, is the Founder of the Little Baby Face Foundation and the Director of facial and reconstructive plastic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.   Dr. Russell Griffiths has his private practice in Boise, Idaho and specializes in a variety of facial plastic surgery including ear reconstruction.  Thank you to Alan Raffauf (VP of Mktg. for Oticon Medical), Kerry Roesch (North American District Sales Manager for Sophono), and Alison Mendez (NY Territory Sales Rep for Cochlear) for being at our picnic.  I would like to thank Daisy Alcivar Garrison for being our NY picnic host and for organizing our event.  Daisy would like to carry on the torch and host a picnic in New York for Microtia families every year.  Thank you to Pee Wee the clown who was our awesome magician, snow cone maker, DJ, face painter/balloon maker and popcorn maker.  Yep, Pee Wee did it all!  The kids had a wonderful time listening to him and dancing and playing games.  Pee Wee gave us an amazing discount on everything he did for us which is very much appreciated. I would also like to say a very special thank you to Marcos of Valentina’s Pizzaria who catered our delicious Italian lunch (rigatoni, chicken parm, garlic balls, salad, french fries, and drinks). Marcos not only catered our event at his cost (helping give Oticon Medical a 50% discount for covering the food), but Marcos snuk in some very delicious cannolis as a special treat for all of the parents to eat and asked a friend to cater some delicious cupcakes for the kids. Marcos applauds what we are doing for the Microtia/Atresia community and he has offered to cater next year’s NY picnic for FREE and he also would like to do this for many years to come to support Ear Community and the Yonkers, NY community. Marcos and PeeWee, thank you for helping make our Microtia/Atresia picnic in New York so special for these families and especially for our kids. Thank you for giving back to the community!  I would also like to thank Build-A-Bear for donating a fully stuffed and dressed bear that one lucky little girl won during our raffle.  I have a feeling this little girl just got a new best friend! I would also like to thank the Ear to Ear Foundation for asking the Oriental Trading Company for some fun goodies for the kids. Thank you to the Oriental Trading Company for those goodies provided and the kids loved them.  Thank you! I will always remember the experiences these picnics provide.  I can’t tell you all how very nice it was to finally meet everyone, watch the kids play together and have fun, see families mingling with medical professionals in a relaxed setting and learning about hearing technology in an unbiased manner. Thank you to everyone involved for helping me find a way to bring Microtia/Atresia families together.

Melissa Tumblin

Founder of Ear Community and the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook