Parents will do anything to give their children a healthy and normal life, but for one Charleston family it has been an uphill battle. (Courtesy of Kara Blakeman Photography via the Shear Family)
by DANIELLE DINDAK –
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — Parents will do anything to give their children a healthy and normal life, but for one Charleston family it has been an uphill battle.
“You love them more than anything in the world and you’re willing to do anything for them,” Katie Shear said. “You need to be their strongest advocate, especially when they’re this little.”
The Shear family’s story started this past summer on June 9 when the family grew by one.
“He was a C section baby, so the way I found out was pretty traumatic,” Shear said. “It was during surgery and I heard somebody in the operating room say he’s missing an ear.”
Baby J.J. was born without part of his left ear — referred to medically as microtia — leaving him with only minimal hearing on that side.
“I turned and looked at Andrew and said ‘he has the other one right?'” Katie Shear said.
J.J. is now five months old, happy and loving everything Disney.
“Whatever he needs I’ll go to the ends of earth to get it for him, but we figured we have insurance it’s going to be okay,” Shear said.
A device can give J.J. the gift of full hearing, but with a price — as much as $12,000 every five years for the rest of his life. The family said it is hitting a roadblock after being denied help by two insurance companies so far.
“‘We don’t deem a hearing aid, for your child that has no left ear, medically necessary. Find alternative treatment options,’” Shear said. “There is not an alternative option.”
Andrew Shear said the device they’re fighting for is only the beginning for J.J.
“I mean this is only the first step,” Andrew Shear said. “He’ll have the headband and the Baha hearing device until five or six and once he gets older he’ll have the option to do the surgery, which implants it behind your head.”
