Third Annual National Microtia Awareness Day with the Ear Community Organization – November 9th, 2018

A local elementary school in Colorado.

On Friday, November 9th, 2018, children and adults along with their families, teachers and schools, medical professionals, and many medical facilities and universities all embraced our third annual National Microtia Awareness Day all over the world!  Families everywhere were excited to raise awareness and help educate about Microtia and Atresia at schools through classroom presentations where children educated about their ears, hearing loss, and being kind and teaching about differences, enjoying cup cakes and treats.  So many children shared a newfound confidence where they got up in front of their classrooms and talked about their ears and their hearing loss (while wearing their Microtia Awareness Day t-shirts) and explained why having an awareness day was so important to them.  Adults who have Microtia and Atresia helped raise awareness in the work place by wearing their awareness wrist bands or Microtia t-shirts.  Medical professionals from Microtia and Atresia repair surgeons, pediatricians to ENTs, audiologists and dentists, all blogged about our special day on social media and hosted educational clinics for Microtia and Atresia families to attend where all options could be presented.  Our organization also received an outpouring of thank yous from families all over the world, being grateful for this special day to celebrate their children on.  Many wore our blue awareness ribbons and many also had fun creating their own drawings and wearing hand made ribbons and pins and stickers to celebrate the day!  So many families are happy to know that they are not alone with Microtia and Atresia.  Even families with newborns affected by Microtia and Atresia found hope and a sense of belongingness with everything being so new to them.  There were also a series of group gatherings that took place with Microtia and Atresia families coming together to celebrate on our special day.

The Seidman Labs Harvard genetics team w/Angela Tai and Barbara McDonough

Some of the medical facilities who embraced of our awareness day (as many offer Microtia and Atresia clinics, are conducting genetic research, or educate about Microtia and Atresia) were Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Seattle, Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Children’s Hospital of Texas, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins, ReconstratA, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the NIH, the Gabriela Miller Kids First Foundation and the First Data Resource Center, the NIDCR and many government patient advocacy committees for rare causes, AudiologyOnline, HealthyHearing, SuccessForKidsWithHearingLoss, the Fundacion MicrotiaeHipoacusia in Chile and Audio Centro in Ecuador, just to name a few as I continue to receive more messages that continue to pour in.  Many hearing device companies and medical device companies such as Cochlear Americas, Med-EL, Medtronic, Oticon Medical, and Stryker CMF (the maker of Medpor) socially blogged about National Microtia Awareness Day, celebrating in their offices and educating employees more about hearing loss and Microtia.  Many amazing moments took place on this special day for families and individuals with Microtia and Atresia everywhere!  Professional artist, Priscila Soares (California) created a piece of art in the image of the Tumblin Family’s daughter, Ally, in a piece she calls “Ally is Looking Out for Microtia” which is amazing and beautiful in so many ways s Priscila creates 3D artwork of real people behind hearing loss!  Dr. David Zopf at the University of Michigan performed a rib graft Microtia repair surgery on the 9th and wore his blue awareness ribbon all day (see

The staff at the Vanderbilt Microtia and Atresia Clinic

photo below of him and his patient with his beautiful new ear).  Dr. Luis Serrano helped bring Microtia and Atresia families together at an educational event in Mexico!  Oticon Medical played educational video clips throughout the day in the office, helping educate the organization’s 500 employees in the US about Microtia and Atresia while each employee enjoyed a blue awareness day cupcake.  Oticon Medical Denmark released a beautiful video showing employees releasing blue and white balloons, embracing children and adults who have Microtia and Atresia, helping children and adults with Microtia and Atresia know that they have the potential to do and become anything in life.  Med-EL organized a radio clip on Sirius FM with NYU’s Dr. Sean McMenomey – the host of “Doctor Radio” where Microtia and Atresia was discussed along with talking about a conductive hearing loss.  A shout out to the Ear Community Organization went out at the end of the clip.  We even had country singer, Luke Bryan, wear our blue awareness band during his October 26th Detroit, MI concert after one of our support group members (Katie Davison) was attending his concert where she gave it to him and he put it on and wore it during the rest of the concert!

Hundreds of children and adults, along with their families, submitted pictures to online support groups in their National Microtia Awareness Day t-shirts and/or wearing blue and black, celebrating and helping promote awareness.  Many changed their online profile pictures to our Ear Community awareness ribbon.  Many also changed their Facebook profile pictures to the beautiful official Microtia Awareness profile frames/boarders on Facebook created by Ear Community support group members Megan Mitchell and Mark Johnson.  Our Microtia Awareness FB frames were used over 1,500 times!  Excitement about celebrations everywhere were blogged on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  Not only did families celebrate in the US, but also from many countries all over….Canada, the Philippines, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, Malaysia, Denmark, the UK, Poland, Ireland, China, Israel, Indonesia, New Zealand, Russia, Denmark, Germany, Facebook Global, Netherlands and Turkey and many others.   Many families from other countries have embraced November 9th as International Microtia Awareness Day!

November 9th is dedicated to spreading hope and knowledge concerning a congenital birth defect, which derives its name from the Latin terms for little ears.  Mark the calendar for Microtia Awareness Day for November 9th and think of the number 9 as the shape of an ear.  In an interview with AudiologyOnline, Tumblin was asked “Why was it so important to have a national awareness day created?  Tumblin stated, “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, my 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 8,500 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.In a press release by, Melissa Tumblin, Founder of the Ear Community Organization, she explains that “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.”

Oticon Medical Denmark awareness day video here (via Facebook).
Oticon Medical Denmark awareness day video here (via LinkedIn).

A thank you from the Founder of Ear Community, Melissa Tumblin:
“THANK YOU to everyone who embraced and participated in National Microtia Awareness Day this past Friday on November 9th! My heart is filled with so much love and joy, seeing the belongingness of so many families around the world who have been able to come together with children and adults who have Microtia and Atresia. From friends and family to surgeons, ENTs, audiologists, dentists, therapists and local businesses, to the medical device companies who help our children hear better and have the option for reconstructed ears, to the schools and teachers who enjoyed their students making presentations in the school classroom with a new found confidence in themselves, to families and medical professionals and the government organizations and universities who raised awareness all over the world for our beautiful children and adults who have Microtia and Atresia, promoting education, awareness, and kindness – Thank you! As Ally says, “everyone is beautiful!”

Here are some amazing memories from our 3rd Annual National Microtia Awareness Day!
See everyone next year!
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org