Archives for May 2025

Poppy is the star of the show at the D & L Nursery Customer Appreciation Day and fund raiser for the Ear Community Organization. Poppy and Family shared their story and why nonprofit organizations like Ear Community matter when you cannot find the answers you are looking for. (May 2025, Ocklawaha, FL)

The Cutchin Family run the D & L Nursery in Ocklawaha, Florida where they hosted their annual Customer Appreciation Day in May. Each year, the nursery picks a charity organization to help give back to that they are grateful to, just like they are grateful to their customers. This year, they selected The Ear Community to give back to to say “thank you” for being there for them when their daughter was born & they couldn’t find the answers they were looking for.

In 2019, Katie & David Cutchin had their beautiful daughter, Poppy. They noticed one of her ears was underdeveloped, but due to the rarity of Microtia & Atresia, their doctors at the hospital were not able to provide much information regarding what it could be or why her ear canal was closed.

Katie explains that “Being a new mom and seeing that your baby has a congenial anomaly that doctors can’t explain sends you on an emotional roller coaster and down a rabbit hole of google searches, looking for the answers the doctors didn’t have. While self researching, we discovered that our daughter had what is called Microtia and Atresia, yet there wasn’t a whole lot of information about it until we happened to come across the Ear Community’s website!” In a testimonial for the organization, Katie explains that “It was during this time her family was fortunate to be able to have a conversation with the organization’s Founder, Melissa, and be put in touch with other other families who are on the same journey. Finding the Ear Community Organization and being able to utilize the information available from the Ear Community, helped our family be able to advocate for Poppy, locate doctors who are familiar with her condition, have proper hearing testing done, and form a plan of action for better hearing with the help of a hearing device that wasn’t mentioned to us. We were able to gain valuable information on what the future may look like for Poppy should we opt for surgical reconstruction or a bone anchored hearing device. Without the Ear Community, we truly believe we would have been lost and not have been able to advocate as well for our daughter which could have led to speech delays, trouble with learning in school, and added stress to the family. It is invaluable to have a place to connect with other parents & learn about other people’s experiences.”

The Cutchin Family’s story is very similar to that of the Tumblin Family’s, which is why the Tumblin Family founded Ear Community Organization in 2010. As a result, Ear Community has helped microtia families learn more about this rare cause and the options available to those with hearing loss because of these conditions, helping them know they are not alone. “The Ear Community has been essential for many families like ours in finding the necessary resources for our loved ones living with Microtia and/or Atresia. They are an amazing non profit that we are fortunate to have learned about! Ear Community was created in response to the lack of knowledge and support for families in need of information regarding these conditions and how to get their loved ones the help they need. With these congenital anomalies being so rare, knowledgeable doctors are few and far between and we are often the ones to inform our pediatricians of what Microtia and Atresia is and how we need to proceed with treatment. The funds donated to the Ear Community help fund research on Microtia and Atresia, provides hearing solutions for those who cannot afford it or were denied through insurance, and provides scholarships to those with Microtia Atresia to continue their education through college.

Thank you to Katie, David & Poppy Cutchin & Family for hosting a fundraiser in May at their nursery for our Ear Community Organization! It was a beautiful day for Customer Appreciation Day and the fundraiser for Ear Community! From organizing raffles and a silent auction to organizing food and lots of fun activities at the nursery that included tree art demonstrations and presentations and lots of helpful tips on caring for plants and trees and gardening! THANK YOU to the artists that gave the demonstrations. They donated their time, travel expense and the trees used in their demonstrations. The artists trees alone brought in a total of $510.00 with a total donation amount of $2,678.00, including donations, going to the Ear Community that was raised! A very special thank you to the Cutchin Family (David, Katie, Poppy and Family) and everyone at the D&L Nursery including Sarah, Charlene, Mary Lou, Patty, John Clayton, Norine Catich, Jeff Ketts, MaryJo Magargee, Eddy Fernandez, Jim and Ray Blakely, Darry and Barbara, Connie and Nanci, Chris Cosenza and Ken Sandifer! It takes a lot of planning and everyone’s help to make these special days possible! Thank you especially for helping give back to the Ear Community! D&L Nursery also lined up this special day honoring World Bonsai Day, which takes place every May 10th! And, congratulations to David and Katie on the birth of baby Mack just last month! Poppy is so excited to have a baby brother!

Here are some fun memories from this special day organized by Poppy and her family and friends!
Thank you, Katie, David and Poppy and Everyone!
Melissa Tumblin
Ear Community