Tyler's Medpore Ear Surgery
Donation protected
My name is Tyler Houston; I am 20 years old and am a junior at the University of Georgia pursuing a major in Risk Management. The reason why I am putting up a funding campaign on GoFundMe is because I have a stage 3 microtia ear deformity in my right ear and am hoping to go through a Medpore Ear Reconstruction Surgery to fix this deformity.
I have had this defect since birth, and because of recent advances in technology (which have led to the discovery of this surgery), I believe now is when I can have a successful turn-out with my deformity through this surgical procedure. This Medpore surgery should make my deformed ear look a lot like (if not almost exactly like) my good ear. From the time I was born until around 6 years old, my right ear (deformed ear) looked like this.
Around the time I reached 6 years old, I went through an ear reconstructive surgery which ended up being a failure; and the surgeon had me go through 2 more surgeries soon after (which did not help any). Here are two pictures of my ears that were taken around a week ago (and how different my ear looked after the failed surgery compared to the first 2 pictures I showed you).
So ever since I had started Kindergarten until now, I cannot count the number of kids, teens, etc. who have asked me about my ear (not that any of them meant any harm by it). And despite how often I would attempt to forget about the deformity, I would constantly be reminded about my abnormality when people would ask.
Now for a very long time none of this bothered me. Actually, throughout high school, I wouldn't care at all when people asked because I understood (and still understand) that they were simply curious about what had happened to my ear. Some close friends of mine could even tell you that I made jokes about it myself. For example, a good friend once told me, "I don't like to plan things ahead of time; I like to plan things by ear." I responded by saying, "Well I only have one ear, so I have to plan ahead."
I have even found it funny when there had been awkward silences after I made jokes about my ear; because I could tell that people wouldn't be sure if they should laugh at my jokes or not.
One thing that bugs me about this deformity, though, is when I meet new people. For example, I walk up to a small group of people, and let's say I know all of them but one. Since I am an outspoken extrovert, I would quickly introduce myself to the person I don't know; and once I turn away from that person to talk to someone else, that person would stare at my ear (and this basically always happens). And since I like to meet new people, this is a constantly repeating occurence. The first couple of times didn't bother me, but it wears on you when it happens hundreds of times.
Futhermore, it is also hard for me to hear people talk if the group I'm with is in a public place such as a loud restaurant, a football game, or even in a classroom. I'm not too bad at keeping conversations going, but it's pretty hard to keep one going if you can't hear them!
This Medpore Ear surgery would not only help with the aesthetics of my ear, but this surgery would result in the thinning of the skin covering my right ear canal. With this thinner skin, I would have less of a muffled sound coming from my right ear, and could actually hear better on my right side.
Now I know what you might be thinking: aren't there ear canal surgeries out there that he could go through to fix that problem? There are, and I have talked to a specialty doctor who performs those surgeries, and he told me that he would not recommend me go through that surgery because the middle ear anatomy on my right side is too compacted to have a definite successful surgery. What that means is: if he were to perform the surgery, and even if I could hear very well out of both ears after the surgery, there's no guarantee that it would always be like that. He said that after 6 months, my ear canal could close up and it would be just like it is now. And not only that, but I would also have to get bi-annual ear canal cleanings and would have to put alcohol drops in my ear every day despite whether I'd be able to hear out of my ear or not.
So the Medpore surgery would at least help me hear a little better and then I wouldn't have to go through all that ear canal stuff.
And with all that said, if I go through this Medpore Ear Reconstructive Surgery: I would no longer have people constantly ask me about my deformed ear, I would not have to notice people I meet staring at my deformed ear, there would no longer be awkward silences when I make jokes about my ear (because when I make jokes about it later, it wouldn't matter since my ear would no longer be deformed), I could possibly hear better due to the thinning of the skin covering my ear as a result of the surgery, and I would even be able to finally wear sun glasses without wearing a hat!
Another thing to add is that I may soon need to wear glasses (probably reading glasses), and I currently can't wear glasses because of this deformity. So even if I needed to wear glasses, I couldn't since the glasses would slide down my face.
And lastly, when it comes to the money I need for this surgery, it is not a small amount. The costs for this surgery add up to $50,000. You may ask at this point: couldn't your insurance company pay for this? Well that would be great, wouldn't it! They have actually turned down any request made by my parents and I for coverage of this surgery because they don't believe it is medically necessary because it is a cosmetic surgery. They are wrong, and the doctor who would perform this Medpore surgery on me (Sheryl Lewin) has confirmed to me that they are wrong. This is so because of the thinning of the skin covering my ear (that I talked about earlier) would result in me possibly being able to hear better.
And my family and I don't have $50,000 that we could use to pay for this surgery, so I am seeking help from each and every one of you to put in any size contribution you wish towards my surgery (it could be just $1). Any amount you put in would tell me that you want to help towards giving me this surgery (which I would also call a blessing). Thanks so much for taking the time to read all of this, and this is also a major thank you from my family and I to anyone who puts a contribution towards my surgery. May God bless each and every one of you.
I have had this defect since birth, and because of recent advances in technology (which have led to the discovery of this surgery), I believe now is when I can have a successful turn-out with my deformity through this surgical procedure. This Medpore surgery should make my deformed ear look a lot like (if not almost exactly like) my good ear. From the time I was born until around 6 years old, my right ear (deformed ear) looked like this.
Around the time I reached 6 years old, I went through an ear reconstructive surgery which ended up being a failure; and the surgeon had me go through 2 more surgeries soon after (which did not help any). Here are two pictures of my ears that were taken around a week ago (and how different my ear looked after the failed surgery compared to the first 2 pictures I showed you).
So ever since I had started Kindergarten until now, I cannot count the number of kids, teens, etc. who have asked me about my ear (not that any of them meant any harm by it). And despite how often I would attempt to forget about the deformity, I would constantly be reminded about my abnormality when people would ask.
Now for a very long time none of this bothered me. Actually, throughout high school, I wouldn't care at all when people asked because I understood (and still understand) that they were simply curious about what had happened to my ear. Some close friends of mine could even tell you that I made jokes about it myself. For example, a good friend once told me, "I don't like to plan things ahead of time; I like to plan things by ear." I responded by saying, "Well I only have one ear, so I have to plan ahead."
I have even found it funny when there had been awkward silences after I made jokes about my ear; because I could tell that people wouldn't be sure if they should laugh at my jokes or not.
One thing that bugs me about this deformity, though, is when I meet new people. For example, I walk up to a small group of people, and let's say I know all of them but one. Since I am an outspoken extrovert, I would quickly introduce myself to the person I don't know; and once I turn away from that person to talk to someone else, that person would stare at my ear (and this basically always happens). And since I like to meet new people, this is a constantly repeating occurence. The first couple of times didn't bother me, but it wears on you when it happens hundreds of times.
Futhermore, it is also hard for me to hear people talk if the group I'm with is in a public place such as a loud restaurant, a football game, or even in a classroom. I'm not too bad at keeping conversations going, but it's pretty hard to keep one going if you can't hear them!
This Medpore Ear surgery would not only help with the aesthetics of my ear, but this surgery would result in the thinning of the skin covering my right ear canal. With this thinner skin, I would have less of a muffled sound coming from my right ear, and could actually hear better on my right side.
Now I know what you might be thinking: aren't there ear canal surgeries out there that he could go through to fix that problem? There are, and I have talked to a specialty doctor who performs those surgeries, and he told me that he would not recommend me go through that surgery because the middle ear anatomy on my right side is too compacted to have a definite successful surgery. What that means is: if he were to perform the surgery, and even if I could hear very well out of both ears after the surgery, there's no guarantee that it would always be like that. He said that after 6 months, my ear canal could close up and it would be just like it is now. And not only that, but I would also have to get bi-annual ear canal cleanings and would have to put alcohol drops in my ear every day despite whether I'd be able to hear out of my ear or not.
So the Medpore surgery would at least help me hear a little better and then I wouldn't have to go through all that ear canal stuff.
And with all that said, if I go through this Medpore Ear Reconstructive Surgery: I would no longer have people constantly ask me about my deformed ear, I would not have to notice people I meet staring at my deformed ear, there would no longer be awkward silences when I make jokes about my ear (because when I make jokes about it later, it wouldn't matter since my ear would no longer be deformed), I could possibly hear better due to the thinning of the skin covering my ear as a result of the surgery, and I would even be able to finally wear sun glasses without wearing a hat!
Another thing to add is that I may soon need to wear glasses (probably reading glasses), and I currently can't wear glasses because of this deformity. So even if I needed to wear glasses, I couldn't since the glasses would slide down my face.
And lastly, when it comes to the money I need for this surgery, it is not a small amount. The costs for this surgery add up to $50,000. You may ask at this point: couldn't your insurance company pay for this? Well that would be great, wouldn't it! They have actually turned down any request made by my parents and I for coverage of this surgery because they don't believe it is medically necessary because it is a cosmetic surgery. They are wrong, and the doctor who would perform this Medpore surgery on me (Sheryl Lewin) has confirmed to me that they are wrong. This is so because of the thinning of the skin covering my ear (that I talked about earlier) would result in me possibly being able to hear better.
And my family and I don't have $50,000 that we could use to pay for this surgery, so I am seeking help from each and every one of you to put in any size contribution you wish towards my surgery (it could be just $1). Any amount you put in would tell me that you want to help towards giving me this surgery (which I would also call a blessing). Thanks so much for taking the time to read all of this, and this is also a major thank you from my family and I to anyone who puts a contribution towards my surgery. May God bless each and every one of you.
Organizer
Tyler Houston
Organizer
Bogart, GA