Students at Hamilton's Chedoke elementary school raise awareness of microtia

From Pixabay

Three years after the start of 13 surgeries to fix a congenital condition, James Stewart is doing well.

James, a Grade 3 at Chedoke elementary school, was born with microtia, a relatively unknown congenital deformity that affects about one in 6,000 to 9,000.

“He was born with little remnants of an ear,” says mom Cindy.

Along with microtia, James was also had atresia, or no ear canal. The two conditions often strike together.

Starting at age five, James underwent a series of 13 surgeries. Cartilage from his lower left rib area was used to form an ear lobe and doctors built James an ear canal.

In the final surgery, he received a cochlear implant and a bone-anchored hearing aid.

“It goes through the bone and travels to the brain,” explains James.

Hearing out of both ears has help James immensely, says mom, as his hearing loss had delayed his speech and language development.

On Nov. 25, James led his classmates at Chedoke in an awareness walk to celebrate National Microtia Awareness Day.

Students in James’ class made posters and videos to explain microtia to their peers.