Doctors to give deaf boy ears grown from his own ribs

New hope: Kieran Sorkin, with sister Mia, has a birth condition called microtia

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A boy born deaf and without any ears will grow a set from his own ribs at Great Ormond Street hospital.

Surgeons will use eight-year-old Kieran Sorkin’s cartilage to build a pair of ears and graft them on to the side of his head.

His birth condition, microtia, affects just one in 100,000 babies on both sides of the head and left Kieran with only small lobes where his ears should be.

Kieran’s hearing is improving gradually thanks to several operations and a hearing aid anchored to his bone, but all he wants is a pair of ears so he looks like other children in the playground.

In a show of solidarity and to help the charity that have supported his family, who live in Bushey, Kieran’s big sister, Mia, 10, cut off her waist-length hair to raise money. She was joined by one of Kieran’s classmates, Ayelet Ezekiel, eight. The pair were sponsored, with the £1,100 they have raised going to the Jewish Deaf Association and the hair to Chai Cancer Care.

Kieran’s mother, Louise, 37, a pre-school practitioner, said: “Kieran is a special little guy and he works really hard. He’s gentle and a typical eight-year-old boy who likes cricket and football. Kieran is always trying to make friends but he has found children always asking questions about it. They ask ‘Why are your ears like this?’ His only excuse is ‘That’s what God gave me.’ The teasing is starting already and we need to get the operation done as soon as possible before he starts senior school. He wants to look like everyone else and not be asked questions.”

Two teams of surgeons, lead by GOSH lead clinician for plastic surgery Neil Bulstrode, will work together during the six-hour operation next year. One team will create pockets in the side of Kieran’s head while the other removes cartilage from six of his ribs.

Mr Bulstrode said: “From the cartilage I will carve a framework in the shape of an ear for both sides. Then I will place that framework in pockets under the skin, which is sucked down with a vacuum so that the skin conforms to the contours of the ear framework.” Kieran will have a follow-up operation six months later.

Sue Cipin, executive director of the Jewish Deaf Association, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support the Sorkin family over the years and the girls’ kindness and generosity means that we will be able to continue helping other families give the best possible start in life to their deaf  children.”


Source : London Evening Standard , 5th August 2013