Please Help 4 Year Old Miron. He has hearing loss on both sides. He needs two surgeries to restore his hearing.
On Both Sides
Miron is the middle child in our family. His older sister and younger brother are healthy, but Miron was born with underdeveloped outer ears and has no ear canals. The maternity hospital discharged us with a recommendation to be seen by an audiologist. Otherwise our son was absolutely healthy. A month later, in one Moscow hospital, Miron was diagnosed with "bilateral conductive hearing loss." Because of this developmental defect, our son does not distinguish sounds, like healthy people do, through the auditory canal. Sound passes through the bones of his skull – and it is quite weak. Hearing aids using bone conduction, where the vibrations transmit sound directly to his auditory nerve, help Miron to hear. But the doctors warn that with age, the bones become denser and the sound does not pass through them, which means that Miron will not be able to hear at all!
Evgenia Kravchenko, Moscow Region.
To Save Four-Year-Old Miron $9,750 is Needed.
The cost of Miron's treatment is $156,000. We are happy to report that the Rusfond children's charity in Moscow has raised the entire amount needed. However, an additional $9,750 is required for him and his mother's flights, accommodations, food, local transportation, and other associated expenses for the duration of their stay in the USA.
If you want to help Miron please don't let the cost stop you. Your donation in any amount will be gratefully accepted. You can contribute to Russian American Children's Foundation using a Credit Card, PayPal, or by sending a check made payable to:
Russian American Children's Foundation
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300
New York, NY 10170
Thank you! All donations in excess of what is needed for Miron will help other children in need of ear surgery.
California Ear Institute Otolaryngologist Joseph Roberson, M.D. (Palo Alto, CA): "Miron has no auditory canals and extremely deformed ears. It is necessary to treat these pathologies. There are two options for the reconstruction of the external ear. The first is the implantation of costal cartilage. This can be done for a child between the ages of six to ten years, not earlier. In addition, it will take several more plastic surgeries to make the ear look normal. We use the second option – a new technique with the use of artificial material called Medpor. In our clinic, the restoration of the auditory canals and reconstruction of the outer ears are carried out in one operation to patients starting at the age of three. This is the kind of treatment we are offering Miron. Instead of a series of operations under general anesthesia, the boy will have only one – and, we hope, with good results. Functional improvement of hearing is usually achieved within a month after the operation. Timely treatment will avoid delays in his speech development."
09/26/2017
All the funds necessary for Miron's care have been raised. Miron was successfully operated on September 26, 2017 in Palo Alto, California.