A boy who was born without ears has had a pair created
from his ribs.
Nine-year-old Kieran Sorkin had the surgery at London's Great Ormond Street
Hospital. About 100 children a year in the UK are born without one or both ears, a
condition known as microtia.
Kieran was born deaf with small lobes where his ears should be. He can
already hear, thanks to previous surgery to implant a hearing aid. "I want people to stop asking me questions", said Kieran from Hertfordshire.
"I'd like just to look like my friends. "I'd also like to be able to wear sunglasses and earphones."
Kieran's mum Louise Sorkin said: "He's a very sociable boy and has longed for
this operation for years. "I don't want children bullying him because he's different. I just want him
to be accepted like everyone else."
In theatre the surgical team remove cartilage from six of his ribs. It is
cut, shaped and sewn.
These frameworks are inserted in pockets in the skin and then using suction,
they take on the shape of an ear on both sides. The surgery is cosmetic, not to improve hearing. Three days after surgery, Kieran is given a mirror to look at his new ears. His first reaction was "Wow!". Kieran started to giggle, but the operation on
his ribs means it hurts when he laughs. Kieran will need a second operation in six months to make his ears stand out
from the scalp more, but he's already delighted with the result.
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