Archives for March 2025

2025 Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Summer Picnic Events

March 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment
Ear Community’s 2025 Microtia & Atresia Picnics are scheduled! ❤👂
2025 Summer Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Picnic Events FlierFamilies travel from surrounding states & other countries just to come to our Ear Community picnics! Our priceless picnics are FREE to Microtia & Atresia families! Join us for lunch, share your journey, learn about your options, enjoy lots of fun entertainment, watch the kids play & maybe even make a new friend!❤👂

Our picnic schedule is as follows:
June 14th – Idaho Falls, Idaho (orchestra in the park w/our picnic host, Dr. Daniel Baldwin). Drs. Grant Fairbanks & Russell Griffiths will also be joining us & many audiologists!
June 21st – Richmond, Virginia (water in the park fun w/our picnic hosts Joshua Shrader & Christopher Bowman). Dr. Brad Kesser will also be joining us & lots of audiologists!
June 28th – Wilton Manors, Florida (our picnic hosts are Clarissa Federico LaFirst & Jackson LaFirst). The University of Miami, including prosthetics expert, David Trainer, will also be joining us & lots of audiologists!
July 12th – Port Washington, New York (our picnic hosts are Kristina & Amelia Kosoglyadov). NYEE, Weill Cornell & Columbia U will also be joining us & lots of audiologists!
July 19th – Atlanta, Georgia (our picnic hosts Paxton & Lauren Hoyal). We’ll have Drs. Steven Goudy & David Chou joining us & lots of audiologists!
July 19th – Oakville, Ontario Canada (our picnic hosts are Kripa KR & Jahnu Raman & Silvia & Oliver Luu). The Sunnybrook craniofacial team will be joining us & lots of audiologists!
July 26th – Nashville, Tennessee (our picnic host is John Melson). * This picnic is in collaboration with the Vanderbilt Microtia & Atresia Clinic team w/Drs. Scott Scott James Stephan, Jason Park, Shi Yang, Priyesh Patel, Scott Fiscus, BCO / Precision Ocular Prosthetics & lots of audiologists!
*** A special thank you to our Proud Sponsors for helping make our special days possible!***
The Gross Family Foundation, Blue Chip Foundation & The Omnium Foundation!
Our Proud Platinum Sponsors!
Cochlear Americas
MED-EL USA
Oticon Medical

We look forward to seeing everyone this summer at an Ear Community picnic near you!
Melissa Tumblin
Filed Under: Events, History

Ear Community Honors World Hearing Day With Gift of Hearing – March 3, 2025

March 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment

Image of little boy (Romeo) who received a hearing device through Ear Community on World Hearing Day, 3/3/2025.In honor of World Hearing Day today, March 3, 2025, the Ear Community Organization was able to donate (1) Oticon Medical Ponto 5 Mini bone conduction hearing device and soft band headband to this sweet little boy, named Romeo, in Canada! Romeo is the proud recipient of a Ponto 5 Mini bone conduction hearing device, donated by Oticon Medical Canada, that will help him hear his best! Romeo was struggling with his hearing due to having hearing loss in his right ear because of being born with microtia and atresia. Often times in Canada, the NHS does not always provide a bone conduction hearing device to a child under the age of 5. This was Romeo’s struggle. Birth to 5 years of age is known as the critical years of development, which is such a critical time for children to hear their best as their vocabulary and language skills are developing. Thankfully, Romeo can hear his best now and his parents do not have to worry about him struggling to hear or miss a beat, allowing him to meet his speech milestones. Romeo’s family is so happy to have found our Ear Community Organization!

In addition to today’s gift of hearing, the Ear Community Organization, through Pax’s Ear Fund, was also able to help reimburse (2) separate audiologists in the state of Indiana for the programming and fitting fee for (2) more patients when their insurance provider denied this service for their hearing device! Thank you to Dr. Allison Stevenson at Hear Canada for helping with Romeo’s fitting and programming! A special thank you to Siiri Fortey and the Canadian Oticon Medical Team for donating this incredible gift of hearing (a Ponto 5 Mini) to Romeo, because sound matters! Thank you to Drs. Christine Bruce and Jayne Fields for helping their patients receive the gift of hearing when their patient’s insurance would not!

Ear Community is so very proud to have Pax’s Ear Fund in place to help those most in need of hearing still be given the opportunity to hear! A very special thank you to the Gross Family Foundation and Pax for making Pax’s Ear Fund possible, helping children like Romeo hear his best! ❤️👂

Little girl in Indiana who received a hearing device and financial help with her programming through Ear Community.Montgomery was able to have her hearing devices programmed on World Hearing Day thanks to Pax’s Ear Fund through our Ear Community Organization! Montgomery was born with bilateral microtia and atresia in Indiana. Even though Montgomery’s family’s insurance provider recognizes coverage for a bone conduction hearing device, the family’s insurer still denied the fitting and programming for her hearing device. Montgomery’s hearing device would not work properly or benefit her hearing loss unless programmed. Thanks to Pax’s Ear Fund, made possible by a sweet little boy named Pax and his Family, Montgomery’s audiologist, Dr. Jayne Fields in Indiana, was still able to give the gift of hearing to Montgomery thanks to Pax’s  Ear Fund offering reimbursement for this service that was denied through the family’s insurance! Here is a picture of Montgomery reading one of her favorite books on the way home from her audiology appointment, showing how she is able to go on with her day by hearing through her Oticon Medical Ponto 5 bone conduction hearing devices she wears! #WorldHearingDay

World Hearing Day, an observance designated by the World Health Organization, aims to promote ear and hearing care around the world. It is celebrated annually on March 3.

The 2025 World Hearing Day theme is “Changing Mindsets: Empower yourself to make ear and hearing care a reality for all!”

There are many ways each one of us can ensure good hearing health throughout our lives:
1. Schedule an annual appointment with an audiologist for a complete hearing test to make sure your hearing is where it should be, staying on top of it in the event your hearing is changing.
2. If you cannot visit with an audiologist, please consider reaching out to your state health department for services that can provide a hearing screening.
3. Consider getting your hearing checked at a community health fair through your employer or community center when offered.
World Hearing Day ad for the WHO and the Ear Community OrganizationIf an individual is not born with hearing loss, hearing loss can sneak up on us when we least expect it! Be informed and know what your options are!
1. Hearing devices can help you get your life back! Visit with an audiologist or ENT to learn what your options are.
2. Millions of people wear hearing devices today without worrying about public stigma.

Please remember, our Ear Community Organization has Federal Legislation, known as Ally’s Act, in place to help our community have consistent coverage for bone conduction hearing devices and cochlear implants when it comes to private insurance coverage. *** Our bill will be re-introduced soon – please stay tuned in to our Ear Community website for updated information on how you can advocate for this piece of legislation on the Ally’s Act page!❤️

You can also find many hearing loss articles on Ear Community’s website and also learn about bone conduction hearing device systems at: https://earcommunity.org/hearing-loss/

Happy World Hearing Day!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director

Filed Under: Events, History
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