Boy gets ears made from his ribs

Kieran Sorkin was born with a condition, known as Microtia, which means he was born without ears. It also means he is partcially deaf, but has been treated through a hearing aid. Sorkin’s reaction towards being earless,  “I want people to stop asking me questions,” Sorkin told the BBC. “I’d like to look just like my friends. I’d also like to be able to wear sunglasses and earphones.”

Surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London cut a little cartilage each from six of Sorkin’s ribs to build a base for the ears. These were then inserted in pockets of skin to grow into fully formed ears. Sorkin is very sociable, but other children hsve bullied him for the way the he looks. He depends on the Great Ormond Street to make him look normal. 40 ears are manufactured per year by the Great Ormond Street, but they are made for those who have lost ears in an accident.

 Plastic surgeon Dr. Neil Bulstrode said the procdedure was more of a challenge because there was no matching ear on which to base the design. They have to replace cartilage with the far less invasive option of stem cells collected from fat tissue. There well-known image of the Vacanti mouse, with a human-shaped ear on its back, was a big help towards this goal. The first stage of Sorkin’s ear creation is a success, but he will undergo more operation in order to make his ears stand out from his scap. Though his ribs are sore, he hasn’t suffered permanent damage.