Liam, 6, was born with microtia on his left side, a rare congenital condition in which the outer ear does not develop. In his case no ear canal formed either, so he had no hearing on that side. Few surgeons specialize in it, and the ones the family met in Utah had either performed the surgery only once every few years or did not use the technique Liam needed, with several unwilling to treat him until age 10. Dr. Russell Griffiths in Boise, Idaho is one of the few surgeons in the world who performs the combined single stage procedure Liam needed, reconstructing the ear and placing the hearing implant in oneoperation at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Getting there took about 18 months and urgery was scheduled for October 1. Cochlear received FDA clearance for the Osia 3, its newest bone conduction system, in mid-July, and the first units did not begin shipping until the last week of September. Liam’s device arrived three days before his surgery, making him one of the first few recipients of the technology. The implant is anchored in his skull and sends sound through bone directly to his inner ear. The operation lasted 11 hours, which was an exhausting day for his parents, and included a skin graft from his leg that left him using a wheelchair for the first three days until walking was comfortable. His parents have watched the new ear heal, but Liam has not seen it yet. He gets his first look on Monday, October 19. Cochlear also sent him gifts, including a stuffed animal he now sleeps with every night. The thing he is most excited about is wearing sunglasses, which have never stayed on his face before.
Watch Liam, Juan, and Flor on KTVB’s Idaho Today show where they shared their story, and what staying at the House has meant to them –