4th stage Ear Reconstruction!

Once again we woke up bright and early and headed to the El Camino Surgical Center. Graci was very happy and eager to get this behind her. Graci was going in for 4th stage ear reconstruction. During the 4th stage they do tragus construction with full thicknes and ear cartilage graft. Dr. Brent will create an opening in the conchae (to give the appearance of a natural ear canal) and works to achieve symmetry and balance among the contours of the ear.

Suddenly, our name was called and we went back together as a family. We were all dressed in seersucker since Graci asked us to look cute. It was so nice to see the wonderful nursing staff again. They have been so great to work with and there are so many things that we are going to miss and the hospital and staff is one of them. It really saddens my heart to know that this would be our last trip to California and our last time seeing the most amazing staff and surgeon that gave Graci and an ear. We had lots of down time in the pre-op room which gave a lot of time for tears. Graci probably cried more this time than any other surgery. She held on to her Daddy several times and I would often look over there and see him holding her. Meanwhile, I was keeping Griffin occupied with his cute self, wearing his seer sucker pants and Guy Harvey shirt to the hospital. Graci picked it out for him. He was playing with a puppet that the nursing staff gave him and singing "Big Green Tractor" to it. There was a sweet moment when he went over to Graci's hospital bed and held her hand and bent over and kissed it. As usual, they gave Graci her liquid Valium and sent her back to the operating room. We sat in the waiting room with movies, ipods, phones, magazines, coffee and doughnuts and each other. It was just such a moment of relief that soon this journey would be behind us and Graci would have her "New Ear."

Well, Dr. Brent came out and said that Graci did great!! He showed us a picture of ear and i just dropped to my knees. It was such a wonderufl feeling and he had pierced her ears. It was so emotional for Thomas and I. It really is hard to describe the feeling that we felt. One, it was hard knowing that a 7 year old had to go through all this in just one year. I want to end this writing with a moment that I will never forget. The day Graci was born we had prepared ourselves that we would soon be parents of a beautiful daughter with cleft lip and palate, but not microtia. Of course, Thomas was the first one to see her after delivery and he asked the nurse, "What's wrong with her ear" and the nurse replied, "Oh, you can fix that". I will never forget when they handed Graci to me, Thomas was right there beside me and he told me she had a "little ear". When I saw it I was devastated and honestly, scared to keep looking at it. I was so hurt and so angry. I now can sit here and say they have fixed it. I never in a million years, thought we would reach this point. We are here and we have conquered!! Graci has her NEW EAR....this is the moment I have dreamed of!