First of all, welcome! I'm gonna try to cover about 2 years worth of information in just a few paragraphs so hold on tight! Here we go!!
We are an adoptive family of 4 kids. Three precious girls from China and one cute boy from Taiwan. The last of our kids to come home was Lucy. My little girl was almost three years old when she came to the good ole USA in September of 2011. Lucy was born with bilateral microtia and atresia (no ear drums, no ear canals, no outer ears). She had moderate to severe hearing loss....basically sounds could not make their way into her cochlea. Within a few days of being home, we had Lucy fitted with a BAHA (bone anchored hearing aide) I am happy to report that ever since Lucy had the BAHA placed around her precious little head...she's been hearing! Praise God! Woo whoo!
But now...she needed ears. We met with and consulted with the top atresia surgeons in the United States...they agreed that Lucy was not a candidate for ear canal reconstructive surgery which would allow for natural hearing. Ain't gonna lie. That was hard to take. But let me again say...Lucy was hearing with the use of a BAHA....again, Praise God above! Lucy does hear now!!!
So Lucy wasn't a candidate for ear canal reconstruction but she was a candidate for ear reconstruction! We did lots of research and trust me...you learn who you want operating on your child and who you don't! You learn what options are out there. There is a surgeon in California that invented a technique...with a medpor implant....that would provide Lucy an ear that is all her except the "mold/shape" of her ear! After much prayer and consideration.....we decided that Lucy wouldn't "hear" with ears...but we could still provide her with ears. Well, we couldn't but a very gifted surgeon in California by the name of Dr. John Reinisch could....
We consulted with Dr. Reinisch via telephone, email, and Skype! And before we knew it...surgery for a brand spankin' new left ear was scheduled! Basically Lucy would go into surgery and approximately 8 hours later she would come out of surgery with an ear! (go check out Dr. Reinisch's work click here...) That man has some serious God given skills!
We got busy with fundraising...I mean B U S Y!!! Here's just a sampling of some of the events: 2 "Ride for Lucy" motorcycle/bicycle rides, corn hole tournament, selling "H'ears to Lucy" t-shirts, "Ears for Lucy" bracelets, Open House Vendor Night, yard sales, amazing donations from friends, family and even strangers, and lots of other awesome fundraising events! God is indeed good! We have raised thousands of dollars...all because people wanted to make a difference in a little girl's life. My little girl.
Here's how it was supposed to have went: left ear reconstruction surgery....wait 6 months...right ear reconstruction surgery. Well. It didn't quite go as planned. My Lucy has had every complication the surgeon has ever seen...and then some. Love her heart.
Lucy had her left ear reconstruction surgery September 27, 2012.
Lucy had her 1st left ear "fix" surgery November 27, 2012.
Lucy had her 2nd left ear "fix" surgery March 7, 2013.
Lucy continued to have issues with her new left ear. Her right ear reconstruction surgery was scheduled for May 23, 2013. At that time they would once again repair (replace the medpor implant) the left ear while constructing her new right ear! For Lucy....3rd time wasn't the charm...nope...4th time was the charm! I am happy to tell you that Lucy's left ear is lovely! Absolutely stunning! (hang in there...pictures are coming!)
So, on May 23, 2013...Lucy received her brand new right ear! Did I mention that we were back at the fundraising hot and heavy....well, it really never stopped since we seem to have surgeries all year long!
Four weeks post surgery....yep. Issues. Before we knew it...back into surgery. So, August 20, 2013 Lucy was back into surgery....she had a BIG NASTY infection in the new right ear. We have no idea how or why this happened. But again, Dr. Reinisch and his staff were on it! Making arrangements, making things happen so that Lucy could get back into surgery to fix her new right ear. Can I just tell you....they are amazing people.....they don't come any better than Dr. R! We love him...my Lucy loves Dr. Reinisch. She's been known to play "Dr. Reinisch" from time to time....I'll hear her "doctoring" her baby dolls or stuffed animals and calling herself "Dr. Reinisch". Precious.
Ok, let's take a break and view a few photos...shall we?
Here was the first picture I ever saw of my girl.
Love that baby girl. I wish I could have scooped her up right then and there....
Here is what Lucy's left ear looked like before surgery....
I love this next picture! I used it in our Holiday card last year...it wasn't a Christmas card...it was a "Happy New Y'ear" card...get it...New Ear....hehehehe..
The little black box on the pink strap is her BAHA.
Here's Lucy's right ear prior to her reconstruction surgery in May.
Precious baby girl. Dang it...she's cute!
Here's Lucy's new right ear!
Amazing isn't it? This picture was taken just a couple of weeks after surgery! Gorgeous!
Ok...so where were we??? Oh, yeah. August 20th of this year, Lucy had her first "fix" surgery on her new right ear. The infection in her ear was really big and bad...the doctor was hopeful but he wasn't convinced the infection would not return. So, we wait.
Yep. You already know where this is going! Lucy is having a couple of minor issues with her ear. In the grand scheme of things....minor! But she will require surgery. Again.
Adam and I prayed and prayed...and we both feel that Lucy deserves every chance to have both of her ears! She's been through too much to stop now! It's a fairly minor surgery and Lucy handles it great! Lucy's surgeon does not feel like her ear is a loss....just another setback. So, surgery is once again scheduled. Lucy's next surgery will be October 18th in California.
It's been a tough year and then some. But God has been with us every step of the way. I've prayed, I've questioned why? But God didn't say we would always understand...God just said He would be with us every step of the way. And let me tell you...He's been right here with us! He's been with my Lucy every single second in surgery, every single moment in recovery and every single minute that this momma has just about lost her mind! He's been here...and praise God...He still is!
Another photo break....
Here's the family...this was last September...right before the first surgery....
The gang with Dr. Reinisch and his very talented PA, Francesca....she's so precious to me!
Lucy is sporting her ear molds post-surgery to protect her ears!
Even as I write this post, I'm reminded of how very blessed we are and how many amazing people have come together to help our Lucy. Every single moment has been worth it. Yes, Lucy's been through so much....but when this is all said and done...my baby will have 2 precious ears! Amazing.
Here's one way to sum it up!
Before:
After:
This picture was taken 2 weeks post surgery...so the ears are a little rough looking....I think they are beautiful!
One thing I haven't mentioned yet (yes, believe it or not, there's things I haven't mentioned!) is that Lucy wears glasses. She has to have them strapped on her sweet little head along with the strap for her BAHA...but one day soon my girl will be able to wear normal glasses that just rest on her brand new ears!
Praise God! He is good and faithful and true! Sigh. Where would I be without Him??? Where would any of us be without Him?
So, there. I think that about covers it. Do you feel caught up? In the loop?
As I mentioned, Lucy is scheduled for another surgery in California next month. I pray that this will be the last one!
We are back to doing fundraising as the "funds" have long since ran out. So, if you feel lead, you can help Lucy with her surgeries by clicking on the "donate" button on the top right side of the blog. We are always open to any and all fundraising ideas! So, please feel free to leave a note in the "comment" section at the end of this post.....if this post ever ends, right?
Thanks for listening! Thanks for reading! And if you don't mind, please say a prayer for my girl, her ears, upcoming surgery, finances, safe travels, good health and this momma's sanity!
Again, we still feel so blessed to be on this journey to ears with this precious baby that God gave us! I am humbled to be the one that she calls "Mommy".....I am in awe.
**If you feel lead to help us with Lucy's surgeries, you can donate via Paypal.
Just click here. Once you log into your paypal account just click on the tab "send money" and our paypal account is: cloggingcyn@aol.com We greatly appreciate the amazing donations!
Thank you so much for all the prayers, thoughts, and donations! We are forever grateful! And our daughter's life is forever changed!
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