Help Tanner Hear
Donation protected
Our son Tanner was born July 4th, 2012 with a congenital condition that caused him to have no ear on his right side and no ear canals on either side. This condition creates difficulty for him with normal functions that most children enjoy. Despite his physical condition, with the use of his hearing aids, Tanner is developing as a normal 2-3 year old boy; he simply has different requirements for enjoying activities. He is very active; he loves playing outdoors, and attends swimming lessons every week. His interest and fascination in every new experience is enlightening, and causes his family and friends to see things in a different way.
Tanner has a condition called bilateral Atresia & Microtia. Due to his condition, Tanner was unable to hear anything until he was 6 months old (when he first received his hearing aids), and did not begin making any vocalizations until he was 1. Because of Tanner's situation, he is unable to properly locate noises and voices. Many times, because of the digital quality of his hearing aids, he is unable to hear any conversations in louder environments. He wears two BAHAs (Bone Anchored Hearing Aids) on either side in order to hear enough to learn to speak, as he has no ear canals to transfer sound to his inner ear. Because of his 'headband' hearing aids, he is unable to wear things as simple as a baseball hat in the summer heat, and must remove them around water (as they are not waterproof and are not covered by insurance). This creates a dangerous situation, as he cannot hear adults warning him of problems if his hearing aids are removed.
Throughout the past two years, we have taken every opportunity to improve Tanner's situation. He has been involved with speech therapy since his first birthday and has been involved with an audiologist at U.C. Davis Medical Center to regularly test his hearing and equipment. Although he is involved in speech therapy and is able to hear to a certain extent with his hearing aids, he is in need of several very crucial surgeries. With his conditions, a general pediatrician is unable to diagnose ear infections on Tanner, which he has had multiple times over the past several years. Due to this, Tanner is forced to struggle with these infections much longer than a normal child, and his doctors are still forced to 'guess' whether or not he requires antibiotics. Our goal is to give Tanner the surgeries he needs to have optimal hearing in both ears.
There are several doctors who have pioneered surgeries that can change Tanner's life forever. Due to medical advancements, they now have the ability to recreate his ear canals, ear drums, and his outer ear on his right side. As one could imagine, with the very specialized skills required, these procedures are quite expensive. There are only a handful of pediatric surgeons throughout the country that are able to perform these surgeries. With your assistance, we can give Tanner the boost he needs not only to hear, but also to his self-confidence as he approaches his school years.
In January 2015, we took a family trip to Palo Alto to meet Dr. Roberson, and get a CT scan in order to see if Tanner was a candidate for reconstructive surgery. After reviewing Tanner's history and CT scan, Dr Roberson determined that Tanner was a good candidate for both Atresia repair surgery and Combined Atresia/Microtia (CAM) surgery. This will be a series of 2 surgeries performed about 4 months apart, and will recreate both new ear canals and ear drums, as well as a prosthetic ear implant that will be wrapped in Tanner's graphed skin.
Although our family does have good medical insurance, there are no 'In Network' doctor's that will perform these surgeries. Because these specialized doctors are 'Out of Network,' there is a very large payment required to cover the difference prior to surgery, as well as extensive travel expenses. After each surgery, our family will be traveling to Palo Alto weekly for follow-up checkups and hearing exams with Dr. Roberson and to Los Angeles for his prosthetic follow ups.
With your help we can make this life changing opportunity happen for our special little boy, Tanner. We cannot appropriately express our gratitude.
Sincerely,
Fred & Torie
Tanner has a condition called bilateral Atresia & Microtia. Due to his condition, Tanner was unable to hear anything until he was 6 months old (when he first received his hearing aids), and did not begin making any vocalizations until he was 1. Because of Tanner's situation, he is unable to properly locate noises and voices. Many times, because of the digital quality of his hearing aids, he is unable to hear any conversations in louder environments. He wears two BAHAs (Bone Anchored Hearing Aids) on either side in order to hear enough to learn to speak, as he has no ear canals to transfer sound to his inner ear. Because of his 'headband' hearing aids, he is unable to wear things as simple as a baseball hat in the summer heat, and must remove them around water (as they are not waterproof and are not covered by insurance). This creates a dangerous situation, as he cannot hear adults warning him of problems if his hearing aids are removed.
Throughout the past two years, we have taken every opportunity to improve Tanner's situation. He has been involved with speech therapy since his first birthday and has been involved with an audiologist at U.C. Davis Medical Center to regularly test his hearing and equipment. Although he is involved in speech therapy and is able to hear to a certain extent with his hearing aids, he is in need of several very crucial surgeries. With his conditions, a general pediatrician is unable to diagnose ear infections on Tanner, which he has had multiple times over the past several years. Due to this, Tanner is forced to struggle with these infections much longer than a normal child, and his doctors are still forced to 'guess' whether or not he requires antibiotics. Our goal is to give Tanner the surgeries he needs to have optimal hearing in both ears.
There are several doctors who have pioneered surgeries that can change Tanner's life forever. Due to medical advancements, they now have the ability to recreate his ear canals, ear drums, and his outer ear on his right side. As one could imagine, with the very specialized skills required, these procedures are quite expensive. There are only a handful of pediatric surgeons throughout the country that are able to perform these surgeries. With your assistance, we can give Tanner the boost he needs not only to hear, but also to his self-confidence as he approaches his school years.
In January 2015, we took a family trip to Palo Alto to meet Dr. Roberson, and get a CT scan in order to see if Tanner was a candidate for reconstructive surgery. After reviewing Tanner's history and CT scan, Dr Roberson determined that Tanner was a good candidate for both Atresia repair surgery and Combined Atresia/Microtia (CAM) surgery. This will be a series of 2 surgeries performed about 4 months apart, and will recreate both new ear canals and ear drums, as well as a prosthetic ear implant that will be wrapped in Tanner's graphed skin.
Although our family does have good medical insurance, there are no 'In Network' doctor's that will perform these surgeries. Because these specialized doctors are 'Out of Network,' there is a very large payment required to cover the difference prior to surgery, as well as extensive travel expenses. After each surgery, our family will be traveling to Palo Alto weekly for follow-up checkups and hearing exams with Dr. Roberson and to Los Angeles for his prosthetic follow ups.
With your help we can make this life changing opportunity happen for our special little boy, Tanner. We cannot appropriately express our gratitude.
Sincerely,
Fred & Torie
Organizer
Torie Quinterno
Organizer
Grass Valley, CA