Isabella Cuadres, Ear Community college scholarship recipient, 8/2024, Florida Gateway College

August 2024
Congratulations to Isabella Cuadras for being one of our Ear Community college scholarship recipients this year!

Isabella was born with microtia and atresia of her left ear and grew up in the Lake City, Florida area. Isabella says while while she was not confident with her little ear growing up, she has managed to become more confident over the years – mainly because her dad also has microtia and she looks up to him, knowing that she is not alone. Isabella says that her dad shows her that their little ears can’t make them less of a person, but just more unique! As a young adult today, she realizes her little ear makes her different in the best way and she wouldn’t have it any other way! Isabella is proud of the confident person she has become!

Excited to begin the next chapter in life, Isabella graduated a year early from high school and is looking forward to attending Florida Gateway College where she plans to earn her AA degree in business for travel. Already realizing how much Isabella enjoys traveling and wondering what places she could explore and how many cultures she could learn about, she would like to become a travel agent! Even though graduating early was scary for her, she believes it was the right choice for her, allowing her to start her college education early. This decision also helped Isabella prove to herself that she can do whatever she puts her mind to!

When Isabella was younger, she was scared to think she would be stuck in a job she didn’t love. Going to Florida Gateway College and earning her AA will give her an opportunity to chase her dreams with travel! Isabella is excited to earn her AA and get out into the real world as a travel agent!

Congratulations, Isabella! We are SO PROUD of YOU!!! Have a wonderful time traveling the world and also making a difference for others as you help them with their plans to travel the world too as a future travel agent!  Learn lots and do great things, Isabella!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community

Sadie Hart, Ear Community college scholarship recipient, 8/2024, U of Mississippi

August 2024
Congratulations to Sadie Hart for being one of our Ear Community college scholarship recipients this year!

Sadie was born with microtia and atresia of her right ear and grew up Brentwood, Tennessee, attending high school in Nashville. Sadie says while her microtia and atresia does moderately affect how she hears, she has managed to deal with her hearing loss, but never allows microtia and atresia to be an excuse for her.

Sadie is excited to begin the next chapter of her life at the University of Mississippi where she plans to major in business. Sadie is interested in real estate. She says, “…she has always been fascinated by how properties are bought, sold, and developed, and how the real estate market influences the economy. The idea of turning an empty lot into a thriving community or a neglected building into a vibrant commercial space is very exciting”! For Sadie, real estate seems like a perfect blend of business, creativity and the opportunity to make a difference in the community for others. Eventually, she hopes to gain a contractor’s license allowing her to be even more involved with the world of real estate.

Sadie is looking forward to both learning about business and real-world experience from her college professors as well as growing personally by being involved with the campus Greek life, clubs, attending events and making new friends!

Congratulations, Sadie! We are SO PROUD of YOU!!! Have a great time at “Ole Miss”, learn lots and go on to do great things, Sadie!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community

Kaylle, Cochlear Baha 6 recipient through Ear Community, August 2024.

Meet Kaylle Perez, a happy little 2nd grader living in North Carolina, attending Cabarrus County Schools! Kaylle was born with unilateral microtia and atresia of her right ear. With Kaylle being in elementary school now, surrounded by peers and sounds in the school classroom, she realized she was struggling to hear everything clearly, including in conversations with her family. Kaylle’s school audiologist, Dr. Hannah Bell, also realized Kaylle was struggling with her hearing at school and informed Kaylle’s, mother, Mirena, of a hearing device that would help Kaylle hear better. After learning about a bone conduction hearing device, also known as a bone anchored hearing system, Kaylle’s mom began the process to obtain this hearing device for her daughter, but was denied insurance coverage for a hearing device.

Once learning how much a bone conduction hearing device would cost out of pocket, Mirena began looking for help through Kaylle’s school services, trying to help her daughter hear better. Mirena found help in Kaylle’s school interpreter, Teresita, spending countless hours filling out grant applications and scholarships, trying to find someone, anyone, that would help Kaylle obtain a hearing device. Sadly, only denials to hearing nothing back were the responses received. After seeing how much Mirena and Kaylle were struggling to obtain a bone anchored hearing device, Kaylee’s educational audiologist, Dr. Bell, wanted to see if she could find a way to help. After being inspired by their dedication in pursuing a device, Dr. Bell found our Ear Community Organization in her search! Dr. Bell worked with Kaylle and her mom one more time on an application for a hearing device. After receiving Kaylle’s application for a hearing device, Ear Community’s board voted to help Kaylle her hear!

On August 2nd, 2024, with the help of Cochlear Americas and the Ear Community Organization, together, Kaylle received a NEW Baha 6 bone conduction hearing system to help her hear better! A special thank you to Dr. Hannah Bell for following her passion and pressing on to help others hear as an audiologist! Dr. Bell says, “Mirena and Kaylle have reminded me why I love Audiology, which is why I went into this field – to help people hear!” Thank you to Dr. Nicole Pettine for fitting and programming Kaylle’s Baha 6! Dr. Pettine was able to fit and program Kaylle’s Baha 6 thanks to the help of Ear Community’s Pax’s Ear Fund program covering this audiology fitting expense that was also denied by insurance. Most of all, thank you to Kaylle’s mom, Mirena, for advocating for her daughter’s well being and for what is needed to help Kaylle thrive in school and in everyday life when it comes to hearing her best! Mirena says, “Kaylle deserves the ability to hear like her peers. She deserves to hear from the left and the right. She deserves to be an eight-year-old little girl with no worries about hearing things incorrectly or at all. She deserves not to worry about money and to hear as well as her siblings do!”

Ear Community is grateful for the help it receives when joining together to help community members, like Kaylle, hear their best! Thank you to Cochlear Americas for donating a Baha 6 for Kaylle! A special thank you to Taylor Snow, Content Marketing Manager at Cochlear Americas, for helping Kaylle receive the gift of hearing through our organization to Dr. Pettine! Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, and has provided more than 750,000 implantable devices – more than any other company – helping people of all ages to hear and connect with life’s opportunities. Since 2011, Cochlear Americas is a proud Platinum Sponsor to the Ear Community Organization, helping the microtia and atresia community. Thank you Cochlear Americas  for being a leading company behind the hearing device technology that helps children like Kaylle benefit when it comes to restoring hearing loss! Children and adults with microtia and atresia can only benefit from the use of a bone conduction hearing device because of specific related conductive hearing loss.

The world is a better place when the community pulls together to help give back to those in need! All of us at Ear Community hope Kaylle has an incredible start to the school year hearing her best with her new Baha 6! #HearNowAndAlways

Thank you,
Ear Community

Alexander Lang, Ear Community Board Member

The Ear Community announces it’s newest Board of Director Member, Alexander Lang.

Board Members for the Ear Community Organization consist of members of the community that include individuals who were born with microtia and aural atresia, family members and medical professionals. “It is important for our community to be informed of all options for microtia and aural atresia, says Melissa Tumblin, Founder of Ear Community. It is also important to hear from individuals, like Alexander, who have microtia and atresia and to see how the journey with microtia and atresia is going. It is incredibly helpful for children and adults and their families to see what others in the community are doing in regard to the decisions they make along the way of their journey. This is where role models can play a big part in helping others understand decisions and choices and also to help give some perspective when talking with others in the same situation”.

Alexander recently shared the following on Ear Community’s Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Meta:
“I was born with unilateral microtia and atresia in my right ear. I have not had any corrective or reconstructive procedures and am not aided by any hearing devices. My parents wanted the choice to be mine. Growing up, my parents would always check in to see how I felt and if I wanted to explore my options. To be honest, having one ear never bothered me, it became part of my identity. To this day, I am very happy with my choice.

Alexander Lang at the Minnesota Ear Community picnic and conference, June 2024.

Alexander recently discovered the Ear Community Organization and attended an event in Minnesota this June. “I had no clue communities like this existed! It was so cool getting to be a part of a microtia/atresia conference and picnic! We met tons of families, kids and medical professionals. I’m looking forward to getting more involved and hopefully teaching kids all the ear related humor I know!”

“We are excited for Alexander to join our board,” said Ear Community Founder, Melissa Tumblin! “Our community is made up of amazing advocates and role models and this is exactly what Alexander will be amazing at when working with families within our community! We are looking forward to him coming on board”!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community

Finding Nemo Jr. play in Georgia, directed by Lauren Hoyal, at the Thomaston Upson Art Council, 8/2024.

Live in the Barnesville area of Georgia?
Would you like to see the children’s play called, “Finding Nemo Jr.”, helping spread awareness about microtia & atresia & raising funds benefiting the Ear Community Organization?

This children’s theater play taking place on August 9th, 10th & 11th, will be directed by Lauren Hoyal, a member of the microtia community & mom to Paxton! Lauren’s son, Paxton was born with microtia & atresia. Lauren will also be our Ear Community picnic host for our event in Georgia next summer! Lauren is a member of the Board for the Thomaston Upson Art Council & is looking forward to this special night she has worked hard to organize for the community to enjoy!

This year is the first of TUAC’s “Shows with a Purpose” program, bringing awareness to the Microtia & Atresia Ear Community Organization along with embracing, Nemo, as many in our community have a connection when they are missing an ear – like Nemo’s fin.

We will recognize anyone who comes with Microtia & Atresia at the beginning of the play & talk about Microtia & Atresia, as well as the Ear Community. During intermission there will be a 50/50 raffle & all funds raised will go to the Ear Community! Anyone with Microtia who comes to the show will have free entry!

If you live in the Barnesville, GA area & are interested in attending the play, for advance tickets – please visit https://www.tuacga.com/
or for more information, call: 706-647-1605!

Thank you so much to Lauren & her family for thinking of our community & for wanting to help spread awareness & give back to our Organization so we can continue doing more good work! Thank you to the Thomaston Upson Art Council too for all the good they do in Georgia! Thank you also to this year’s corporate sponsor for the play – Tidal Wave Auto Spa!

Enjoy!
Ear Community