Ear Surgery for Chase

Handsome, wild-child, full of energy, and special in his own little way.

Chase was born at 24 weeks gestation, weighing in at just 14 ounces. He has been beating the odds since day one!

In addition to being a micro preemie, Chase has an identical twin, Conner. 

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Chase is identical to his brother in every way, except his craniofacial abnormality. Chase was born with Hemifacial Microsomia (HFM). 

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HFM is a condition in which one side of the face is underdeveloped. For Chase, his right ear and cheekbone are affected. There is no known cause of HFM. 

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As a result of HFM, Chase was born with an ear difference, called Microtia. In lay man's terms, Chase's right ear is underdeveloped. Chase is able to hear out of his right side and is not considered "deaf" at this time. 

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Chase has been proudly rocking his "baby ear" while we waited for him to get bigger and healthier to be able to handle major reconstruction surgery.

The time has finally come that Chase has been given the go ahead by his medical team for reconstruction surgery. 

Given the rarity of this condition, the surgeons who specialize in this condition are not local to us in small town GA. 

We have spent hours upon hours researching, analyzing, joining multiple support groups/chats, meeting and consulting with surgeons all across the world to find the surgeon Chase deserves. 

Dr. John Reinisch, in Beverly Hills CA, is Chase's perfect match. Dr. Reinisch developed MedPor, which is a polyethylene implant that is used along with a skin graft to create an ear. The material is porous therefore the surrounding blood vessels and skin will integrate with the material.

Dr. Reinisch will complete the whole reconstruction in one procedure!

We met with a dr in Texas who performs the traditional rib graft ear reconstruction in the US and solely works on children with microtia and he stated Chase’s best option was Dr.Reinisch in CA. Any doubts we had that he was our right fit has been answered. 

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Unfortunately, Our health insurance is considered out of network for the surgeon and is deeming the procedure as cosmetic. At this time, we are unsure how much if any they will cover. 

In addition to out of pocket costs, we will need to stay in the CA area for up to three weeks following the procedure to ensure healing is going accordingly before flying home. 

We appreciate your prayers and love as we navigate this journey!  

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