Meet Jacob
Jacob is a risk-taker who has big dreams of becoming a professional soccer player when he grows up. Born with microtia and atresia, a smaller than average ear, Jacob’s team at the Stollery is doing everything they can to support his hearing and development.
While Jacob’s right ear may look smaller on the outside, his inner ear was fully formed. To support hearing in that ear, Jake grew up wearing a bone conduction hearing aid attached to a headband. In September 2022, Jacob went to the Stollery Children’s Hospital for his first of two planned surgeries to have his hearing aid permanently implanted in the bone behind his ear.
Unfortunately, his first surgery failed, meaning he had to wait at least another year before starting the two-surgery procedure again. In August 2024, Jake had his second surgery attempt to implant his bone conduction hearing aid implant – and it was a success!
In the spring of 2025, Jake returned to the Stollery for the second part of his surgery to remove his little ear and make room for his prosthetic. The surgery was a success, and Jake is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his prosthetic.