I’m a pionear
Miracle hearing op for Charlotte
A GIRL born without an ear has had her life transformed thanks to pioneering surgery.
Charlotte Wright had an artificial ear implanted in her skull when she was three, the youngest child in Britain to have the op.
Her mum Sophie was amazed at the results: “Charlotte heard things she had never heard before and could finally hear the teacher properly. It made a big difference straightaway.”
Sophie, 42, of Teddington, South West London, said the op also cured Sophie’s behavioural problems, triggered by not hearing properly.
Charlotte, now five, was born with microtia in her right ear, where the outer ear does not form, and with no ear canal. Fluid blocking her normal left ear impacted her hearing further. A special aid was unsuccessful but Charlotte was suitable for a Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implant which sends vibrations to the inner ear, creating normal hearing.
The device was installed at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust’s microtia and atresia clinic in central London. Docs believe the operation could aid more common conditions.