Our Stories
People share their experiences
Courtney Monroe
Hi! My name is Courtney Monroe and I am from Hot Coffee, Mississippi. I am nine years old. I was born without my right ear and my right kidney. I was diagnosed with a form of Goldenhaar Syndrome when I was one month old. I always knew that my ear was different from everyone else's, but I never let that stop me from just being me. One day, when I was eight years old, I was eating lunch with my mom and grandmother and I told them that I wanted an ear. My mom and my grandmother said okay and started trying to find out how to get one. My mom took me to Dr. Carron at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. It is through him that I met Mrs. Allison, who designed my ear... and the rest is history!
The whole process to obtain my prosthetic took about six months. I had surgery in December and in June, after my posts had time to osseointegrate, I was able to finally get my ear.
My ear is great! Mrs. Allison even pierced it for me! When I wear it no one ever notices that it is a prosthetic. It looks real, even my mom forgets that it is a prosthetic. It is really comfortable to wear and I don't even feel it at all. It really stays on well too. I cheer for my schools youth association football team and I wore it to every game. I also take tap, ballet and jazz dance classes. I always wear my ear to dance practice. I love my ear and I never want to be without it.