Teen Girl Hears Clearly For First Time After Being Born Without A Right Ear

Teen Girl Hears Clearly For First Time After Being Born Without A Right Ear
NEED TO KNOW
- A teenage girl in New York City can now hear clearly for the first time in her life after undergoing a series of ear reconstruction surgeries
- The 15-year-old was born with microtia, a congenital condition that left her without a right ear
- “I don’t feel left out any ,” the teen said of now being able to hear clearly
A teenage girl in New York City can now hear clearly for the first time in her life after undergoing a series of ear reconstruction surgeries.
Fifteen-year-old Furugh was born with microtia, a congenital condition that left her without an external right ear and ear canal, per FOX 5 New York. (The teen requested that her full name not be used due to privacy.)
“I wasn’t confident or comfortable at all,” she told the outlet of living with the abnormality. “The people I was around — nobody had this problem but me. I just felt so left out.”
Furugh said she “doesn’t feel like that any ,” thanks to the generosity of the Little Baby Face Foundationan organization created by Dr. Thomas Romo III that provides free corrective surgeries and comprehensive medical care to children born with debilitating facial deformities.
Romo, Director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at both Lennox Hill Hospital and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York City, performed Furugh’s multiple procedures.
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Explaining the complex ear reconstruction process to FOX 5 New York, Romo said, “We harvested rib cartilage from her chest, carved it into the shape of an ear, and placed it on the side of her head through multiple surgeries. Then (I) released it so she could wear glasses.”
“She has a beautiful contour to the ear,” he added as he showed Furugh’s results. “This is rib cartilage, and the rest is all artificial.”
Romo said Furugh’s medical team also implanted a bone-anchored hearing aid to restore the teen’s hearing. She can control the device via an app on her phone.
FOX 5 New York’s cameras captured the joyful moment when the Queens sopho heard clearly for the very first time.
Furugh smiled widely as audiologist Dr. Phillip Vazquez activated the device and confirmed that she could hear him.
“Ever since I got my ear fixed, I feel confident and comfortable,” the teen said of how her life has changed since the ear reconstruction. “I can hear people better now. I don’t have to ask people to repeat themselves.”
She celebrated the milestone by getting her new ear pierced.
Since its inception in 2002, the Little Baby Face Foundation has helped change the lives of nearly 40 children.
“They go through multiple surgeries to get to where they are. That makes them courageous,” Romo said of the foundation’s young patients.
Furugh told FOX 5 New York that she’s “really grateful” to Romo and the rest of her care team. “I’m just really thankful for this opportunity to be able to hear ,” she said.
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
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Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-17 14:51:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com




