National Microtia Awareness Day is November 9th!

Ear Community ad logo for celebrating National Microtia Awareness Day.

National Microtia Awareness Day is coming up on November 9th!  This is a day for children and adults (and their families) who were born with Microtia and Atresia.  Many schools across the nation will be participating and helping raise awareness with their students.  Parents will be visiting classrooms, speaking about Microtia (underdeveloped or missing outer ears) and Atresia (hearing loss due to underdeveloped ear canals), and hearing devices to raise awareness.  Many medical professionals plan to raise awareness by briefly dedicating a slide about Microtia and Atresia and the options for Microtia and Atresia on social media.  Hearing device and medical device companies also look forward to blogging on social media about Microtia and Atresia in hopes that everyone will learn a little bit about this congenital birth condition.

To help raise awareness, the Ear Community Organization has some awareness items available for November 9th:

Order deadline for the United States is October 25th, 2017.
– To order Ear Community National Awareness Day t-shirts, click here.
– To order National Microtia Awareness Day awareness bracelets (vintage Swarovski and more), click here.
– To order National Microtia Awareness Day awareness ribbons, pins, and car decals, click here.

• For t-shirts, your orders can be placed through the MicrotiaTees website.
• For the bracelets, decals, and wrist bands you can order through the Ear Community DONATE link (see directions on how to order via each item).We are excited to raise awareness together with everyone on November 9th!

National Microtia Awareness Day Ribbon for Ear Community Organization – November 9th, 2017.

Approximately one child in every 9,000 (in the United States) is born with Microtia (when the ear(s) do not fully develop during the 1st trimester of pregnancy).  Often affecting one ear or both ears, Microtia is diagnosed at birth, but there is no understanding as to why Microtia occurs. Facial challenges, hearing loss and the longing for social acceptance are some of the daily concerns for those who are born with Microtia.  Children are born into this world not knowing they are any different from anyone else. Many with Microtia share similar stories of curious stares, bullying, or awkwardness.  Individual personalities, social conditioning, available treatments and bullying all impact how every child develops and copes as an adult.  By removing unnecessary boundaries and replacing them with resources, tools, and support, we can eliminate bullying and clear the way for an even more successful future.

It is the intention of Microtia Awareness Day to help promote public awareness.  As the mother of a child who has microtia, and the founder of Ear Community, Melissa Tumblin’s hope is that families who have new babies born with microtia will leave the hospital armed with more answers than questions, and their dreams for their children intact.  “I think that if more people learn about microtia and atresia, that they will be kinder and more accepting.  It is also my intention for anyone who is born without an ear(s) to realize that they are not alone.  Through this national day, they can find out about organizations and resources for information and support.”  Since 2010, the Ear Community Organization has brought over 8,000 people together from around the world at the organization’s events making it possible to share experiences and resources. The community is made up of not only children and adults with Microtia and their families, but teachers, advocates, and medical professionals from around the world who foster awareness and assistance for this amazing group of people. Board members for Ear Community either have the condition themselves or a family member who does, so they have close personal experience with the obstacles from a myriad of perspectives.

Celebrate with us on National Microtia Awareness Day on November 9th, 2017.

Thank you and you are not alone with Microtia and Atresia.
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org