Archives for August 2021

Meet Willard! Willard was born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia and lives in Savannah, Georgia. Willard is 63 years old and has struggled all of his life with hearing loss. After visiting with an Otolaryngologist in 2020, he was informed about a bone anchored hearing device and how this hearing device could be surgically implanted to help him hear. Since Willard was struggling to hear, he was happy to learn about this option. Unfortunately, while Willard is not ready to be surgically implanted at this time, he still wanted to hear better with the hearing device being worn on his head. Since Willard cannot benefit from a traditional hearing aid, he asked his hearing clinic for help. Unfortunately, Willard’s insurance provider denied coverage for a bone anchored hearing device on a soft band head band. Willard’s current audiologist, Dr. Casey Allen, also tried to apply through Georgia’s state Medicaid program to help Willard as he is on a fixed income, but sadly Georgia’s Medicaid program also denied his claim to hear better.

Thankfully, Dr. Allen had heard about the Ear Community Organization! Dr. Allen went above and beyond helping Willard fill out his application (Willard has poor vision) to apply to our organization for help obtaining a bone anchored hearing aid so he could hear. Dr. Allen explained to Willard that Cochlear Americas has a hearing device that could help him hear better called the Baha 6 Max! When Ear Community’s board of directors received Willard’s application for a hearing device, everyone was happy to help Willard hear and voted yes on his application to help this gentleman obtain a Baha!

During the month of August, Willard was fitted with his newly donated Baha 6 Max from Cochlear Americas! A special thank you to Dr. Casey Allen for donating her time and services to help fit and program Willard’s new Baha 6 Max and for helping him with his application. Thank you to Keesha Pfeiffer of Cochlear Americas for helping donate Willard’s Baha 6 Max to our Ear Community Organization so we could help someone in need like Willard! Ear Community is so proud to collaborate with Cochlear Americas when coming together to help individuals who are in need within the Microtia and Atresia community. “Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. It has a dedicated global team of more than 2,500 people who deliver the gift of sound to those with hearing loss in over 100 countries. Its vision is to connect people, young and old, to a world of sound by offering life enhancing hearing solutions. In 2013, Cochlear celebrated 100,000 Baha System users – all with unique stories of how being able to hear again has impacted their lives. The Cochlear promise of “Hear Now. And Always” embodies the company’s commitment to providing its recipients with the best possible hearing performance today and for the rest of their lives.”

Everyone at Ear Community is happy that Willard will be able to hear so much better now!
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

Meet Owen Poling, a Chinese-American from Lancaster, Ohio! Owen graduated from Bloom-Carroll High School this past May and is looking forward to attending Albion College this fall in Michigan. Owen was born with Microtia and Atresia of his right ear. In Owen’s application letter, he spoke about growing up over the years and enduring stares from the public. He expressed how much the stares hurt him and how angry this made him –  realizing that people thought that just by staring at his ear would do no harm to him.

One night while watching TV with his parents, the topic of ear surgery came up. Even though Owen was old enough for ear reconstructive surgery, he felt that something was holding him back from making this decision. Owen’s parents reminded him how much he is loved! Owen also realized that this is who he is and that by changing how he looks would not help others or himself. This was the night that Owen decided he was not changing how he looks! Embracing his smaller ear, he decided that he would keep his ear just the way it was in hopes of helping others just like him know that it is okay to be unique.

Over the years, Owen has come to believe that thanks to the many public stares and questions asked, they have helped him become a stronger person. Owen plans on majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology at Albion College, earning his bachelors in science degree. He plans to continue on to graduate school, becoming a genetic counselor.  Owen realizes that thanks to experiencing life with his congenital little ear, this has created a fascination in him for genetics and biotechnology, such as gene editing.

Owen is thankful for the decision he made that night with his parents, while watching TV. He hopes to help others just like him know that you can still be strong and achieve your goals in life while being unique. Owen says he will continue to inhale faith and exhale fear as he continues on his journey.

A special thank you to Brent Newcomb, President of Ecofin, and the Board of Directors at Ecofin Investments, for making this scholarship possible for Ear Community to shine on some of it’s beautiful community members like Owen.

We are so proud of Owen! We look forward to the positive change that Owen will bring for so many others with his future career in genetics! Most of all, congratulations to Owen for being accepting and loving of himself and embracing his unique little ear. You have a bright future ahead of you, Owen!

Congratulations, Owen! Do great things!
The Ear Community Organization
https://earcommunity.org/events/great-memories/