Cradling their beautiful bub in their arms, they saw Harriet had no left ear and the right was tiny nubs of skin.
“It was a big shock,” her mum, Anna, 46, tells New Idea. “I’m a plastic surgery nurse and I’d never seen anything like it before.”
Anna and her husband, Jay – who live in Tarragindi, South Brisbane – were told their much longed-for baby had bilateral microtia and atresia, meaning she has no ear or ear canals on either side of her head. Now though, in a revolutionary new surgery, the Brisbane 4-year-old will get new ears.
The genetic condition affects one in 10,000 babies, but very few girls and rarely both ears.
“After the shock of seeing she had no ears we were so worried,” says Anna. “We wondered if our little girl would ever be able to hear.”
Thankfully, tests revealed Harriet’s inner ear was functioning and she had limited hearing.
Doctors fitted her with a headband-mounted hearing aid which conducted sound through the bone in Harriet’s forehead.
Rather than learning sign language, Anna and Jay encouraged their little girl to develop speech and language skills.
Denne historien er fra October 26, 2020-utgaven av New Idea.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 26, 2020-utgaven av New Idea.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CLOWNING AROUND!
THE GAGLIARDIES PUT THE FUN IN FAMILY
FIGHTS FOR HER JOB!
HER NEW ROLE RUFFLED SOME FEATHERS
'WE'RE ONE AND DONE'
THE WILDLIFE WARRIOR SHARES SOME FAMILY NEWS
CURSE OF DREAMWORLD strikes AGAIN
THE GOLD COAST PARK IS FACING ANOTHER SCANDAL
Seeing RED
SIX RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS TO BE WARY OF, ACCORDING TO LAWYER CAROLYN DEVRIES
'MUM SAVED THE DAY!'
THEY PAIR ARE SET TO HAVE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
WE THOUGHT WE'D LOSE HIM'
A SIMPLE VIRUS SAW LITTLE RYAN LOSE BOTH HIS LEGS
Getting so ber made me a better man'
Settling in for a candid chat on the porch of his family’s sprawling 100-year-old farmhouse, James Blundell breaks into a warm smile.
Prince Christian's ON ROYAL DUTY!
Denmark’s Crown Prince Christian has enjoyed his first solo royal engagement abroad at the Paris 2024 Paralympics!
3 great ways with DOUGHNUTS
CREATIVE TAKES ON THIS ICONIC SWEET TREAT