Meet Collin! Collin was born with Microtia and Atresia of his left ear. Collin’s family first visited Vanderbilt when Collin was around the age of two. Collin’s mom, Lindsee, said “Dr. Eavey, Dr. Stephan, Dr. Rivas, and the rest of the staff at Vanderbilt each spent a great deal of time with us describing all of our options and gave us a lot of information about Microtia Atresia. It was a very welcoming environment and they were very helpful with all of our questions.”
Collin’s parents really considered all of our options and even thought about not doing anything at all, but decided that reconstructive surgery for Collin would help him in the long run.
Lindsee explains, “I think for my husband and I, we really wanted to have the
reconstruction of the outer ear for several reasons. First and foremost we wanted to do whatever we could to help with Collin’s hearing restoration. We felt that even if we did not do the atresia repair that doing the outer reconstruction would benefit Collin and needed to come first. We felt that the symmetrical look of having two ears is also important. Additionally, most of our family members have some sort of visual impairment or loss which requires the use of glasses, so for that reason we want Collin to have the ability to wear glasses without any assistive device due to the need for a hearing device in his future. Collin is very sensitive at times and we feel it is so important to help him develop confidence and be aware of his needs and his abilities. We are also very excited about the option for a BAHA device.”
Still today, Collin and his family enjoy visiting Dr. Eavey, Dr. Stephan, and Dr. Rivas for their follow up appointments and for fun visits too like at our Vanderbilt/Ear Community Microtia and Atresia family picnic where Collin gets a chance to hang out with his favorite doctors and have fun. “Our experience at Vandy has been absolutely fantastic. Dr. Stephan and his staff explained the entire surgical process so we would be aware of what to expect. Everyone at the Bill Wilkerson Center and the Monroe Carroll Jr. Children’s Hospital have made us feel welcome and comfortable every step of this journey. We would choose the same option if we had to do it all over again and are very thankful for the doctors and staff at Vandy!” – Lindsee Baubles