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HIS SMILE SAYS it all: Kieran Sorkin is delighted with his new ears.
The nine-year-old Hertfordshire boy was born deaf, and due to a rare condition called bilateral microtia, his ears never fully formed.
He had small lobes where his ears should be, but since last August he has been undergoing treatment to give him new ears.
Here he is after the initial six-hour surgery in 2014:
Great Ormond Street Hospital explained:
The procedure began with Mr Bulstrode harvesting rib cartilage from both sides of Kieran’s chest, which he then carefully carved and shaped into frameworks for Kieran’s new ears. In designing them, he used an outline of mum Louise’s ears as a ‘family template’, to make them as close as possible to the ear shape that Kieran might otherwise have inherited from either of his parents.
Mr Bulstrode then grafted the ear frameworks onto either side of Kieran’s head, placing them under pockets of skin that were then sucked down with a vacuum so that the skin conformed to the contours of each new ear.
Thanks to the operations, and a hearing aid, he now has some hearing. His parents said he had talked about having the operation after seeing it on TV when he was six.
The latest operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London was mainly cosmetic – a small skin graft to push each ear out slightly from his head – and meant that the look of his ears was completed.
The Guardian reports that Sorkin was told this week that his ears were healed well enough for him to finally be able to wear sunglasses.
Great Ormond Street Hospital performs more ear reconstructions than any other hospital in the UK.
This includes 35-40 total reconstructions each year, five of which are bilateral reconstructions (both sides) like Kieran’s.
- With additional reporting AP
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What kind of a sad individual would make such a senseless call.. Idiots!
Immature children maybe… It’s called a prank
The same sick twisted individuals that call out ambulance, fire brigade and Gardaí… There should be serious consequences for those caught as the act endangers the lives of rescuers and indeed others that might actually need those emergency services.
Idiots
Got caught there in a wind over tide F7…my fook up but not nice.
Where when how. Details man. Dont leave us hanging
In a sailing boat about 7 years ago. Was following a sailing race from skerries and wind was considerably stronger than forecast (F6-7 rather than F4-5)so everyone arrived at the entrance to the lough early.
A following wind and an emptying tide leads to very large standing waves and boat ended up pitching from 45 degrees up to 45 degrees down. About 300-400m of rollercoaster ride through a narrow enough channel. One of the crew on another boat was taken to hospital with head injuries.
Once past the entrance the lough was almost flat calm and when reading the sailing directions for the lough it said never attempt entering Carlingford in a wind over tide scenario. By the time we realised that we were in the manure it was too late to turn back.
Interesting lesson, showed us how seaworthy the boat was but lucky not to suffer damage or injury. Taught me the importance of proper passage planning and to not rely 100% on sea area forecast from met eireann.
That could have put others at risk?
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