An Answer to My Prayers!!!

Last year my mother saw a news segment on KSL news on Dr. Mobley and his foundation for charitable surgery for children in need of Otoplasty, ear pinning, surgery. We were so excited for the possibility! So we started researching. http://www.mobleymd.org/ We found that candidates needed to be at least 6 years old and have been teased or bullied because of their ears. So we decided to hold off and see how Saige did in Kindergarten and wait until this summer. In the spring I contacted the foundation and started getting the ball rolling. As part of our application I had to include a letter, which I included in the post below. Dr. Mobley's wife, the sole operator of the foundation, emailed back and forth with me to get our application complete. Principle Motta wrote a wonderful letter to Dr. Mobley and spoke with him on the phone as well. We had all our ducks in a row and our fingers and toes crossed. We got the word from the foundation that we had been approved for the surgery through the foundation and well wishes on our journey. Shortly after Mark contacted us to set up Saige's surgery for July 16th! Then Carley called and set up an appointment for us to meet Dr. Mobley in his Park City office on July 11th! Wahoo...her we go! So real now! So exciting! Though I knew everything would be just fine not matter what happened, whether Saige ever got surgery or not she would still be beautiful and wonderful in every way! BUT....still so many nights of praying for answers of WHAT and WHEN and HOW to do for Saige...finally my prayers have been answered through this most observant, nationally recognized, talented and generous surgeon!

Meet Dr. Steven Mobley

THANKS will never be enough!

We are so appreciative of the gift you have given to our family and the hope, joy and confidence you have given SAIGE!!

Dear Mobley Foundation:                                                                                      May 10, 2012

When Saige’s father was in 3rd grade, after many years of teasing, name calling and bullying, his mother finally took him to the doctor and had his ears pinned. The painful memories of segregation in his early school years still remain.

When we were expecting Saige and went in for her prenatal ultrasound at 20 weeks, we concluded that she did not have her moms protruding chin but did in fact have her father’s ears. Immediately at birth we fell in love with her darling ears but could see others awkward stares and comments about her ears. We knew then that we would be facing this day, the day we would have her ears pinned, as her father did.

Saige is a sweet and beautiful girl and is loved dearly by those in her life. She is well adjusted and thrives in kindergarten. Though Saige has not experienced significant teasing or bullying, there have been some incidences of teasing. Such as on one occasion a child said that she had monkey ears and laughed at her in the classroom. Saige said she thought it was funny and laughed too and got everyone to laugh and pretend they had monkey ears. Another older child while playing on the playground said her ears were like an elf’s. Several students have asked their parents why Saige’s ears are funny and parents have come to me with concerns for Saige. Others draw attention to her ears by saying things like, “I love Saige’s ears! They are so cute!” Which may be cute for a kindergartner but not so much as a preteen and throughout her adult life and it just makes Saige more aware of her difference. Saige herself feels like she has elephant ears and says she does not want elephant ears anymore.

So far from just her kindergarten experience, these events have not caused tears, however we live in a sheltered rural community where the kids are expected to be inclusive and respectful and they are friendly and loving kids for the most part. Unfortunately this will not always be the case in Saige’s lifetime. Having an otoplasty at a young age could prevent future teasing and bullying and hopefully eliminate the negative stigma of protruding ears.

In addition to self concept concerns, because of the shape and lack of cartilage in Saige’s ears she cannot keep sunglasses on her face. The ear pieces just slide right over her ears and will not hold up glasses. In the summertime I often figure out a creative hairdo where I can pin her glasses up with her hair to keep them on her face and make sure I put sunscreen on her exposed ears. In the winter time with helmets, hats and goggles we are constantly tucking her ears back so they are not folded over and hurting or hanging out in the cold.

We want Saige to be able to pull her hair back with confidence and throw on her favorite sunglasses without complication! We hope that the Mobley Foundation will consider Saige an eligible candidate for an otoplasty with Dr. Mobley and look forward to hearing from you soon regarding our qualification and arranging a consultation.

Sincerely, Brittney Lundgren (Saige’s Mother)