Image by Getty Images via @daylifeI had a chance to spend some time with my son, the youngest of my three children that I know of this afternoon!
He is into mixed martial arts and has been for many years. I'm not surprised because my father was into boxing and was "golden gloves" champion in Mobile years ago I just don't know at what stage he was because we haven't talked it over in so long.
Alex is going to be a fine man and in showing me "a head lock " I forgot I had a neck injury but I'll be okay just like my dad and I made it through me wanting to wrestle him in the living room fllor myself as a child.
I didn't mention the tinge of pain I felt because I was trying to wake up from his dealy head lock!
I wish there was another technology available to correct his hearing defect so that he wouldn't have to wear a bone conduction hearing aid. Maybe there is now I just don't have the research time into looking around or the time spent talking with his doctors that I used to as well as mother Valarie D. Wooley.
I never will forget when he was born and it was an emergency c-section that was unexpected and standing there taking him from the nurse after they covered his head so I nor my wife or the rest of the family would be surprised to see that he had the cord wrapped around his neck and possibly his head as well and he had no ear canals not to mention me being in a daze from the whole experience and slipping in his mother's blood which if not for being kinda quick a foot myself (my own horn) I may have dropped him.
We all were told he would never hear! I said why, no and that won't be the case as I'm sure my wife felt the same way because we never quite trying to find a doctor or doctors to make Alex's life as normal as possible!
Actually a wonderful lady that worked for "The Alabama Institutue for the Deaf and Blind" in Mobile if I'm correct helped find one of the doctors and we had the good fortune to have Insurance and help going to see him in Atlanta.
For your information they own "Beds and Blinds" on county road 64 in Daphne, Ala. They do a wonderful job because they put our blinds in our model home @ Classic Southern Homes, LLC.
Dr. Mark Gacek and his father originally from Boston but now residents of Mobile helped with his ear canals and ear drums which was successful for a time and I'm sure could be worked on some more as scar tissue develpoed and on two occasions that has been semi-succesful.
Dr. Mark Mitchell Jones of Atlanta performed reconstructed his outer ears using cartiledge from Alex's ribs to perform what I still consider a miracle considering his ear(s) had to be in the right place for the future surgery Dr. Jones explained to both my wife and I it was not only possible but should be done once the several operations and trips to Atlanta were complete.
I never will forget or not appreciate the fact the night The "deacons" from Spanish Fort Church of Christ brought to our trailer that we rented from Lonnie & Rhonda Jones in Spanish Fort, Alabama a collection that had been taken up so that we would have spending money in Atlanta as I had only recently started at Dobbins & Dukes Homes and what a wonderful thing it was to have not only our family, our friends and colleague's but our church do something to help with what was our first experience with going out of town to the Big City of Atlanta to have surgery performed on our little boy.
Mr Gacek and his father worked to perform another a miracle by not only for lack of a better word drilling his new ear canals but placing the two bones directly behind your ear drum in the right place to have any success at all!
Dr. Jones helped answer any questions as to why(?) in a set of papers I still have to this day not to mention the fact the cord was wrapped around his head so tight well let's just say I almost couldn't look as he was born because well I did and that's all there is to that.
In fact the condition is called Microtia and only 10% of children born with such a condition have bi-lateral Microtia which means both ears were effected.
During my time being told how wrong I have been to take Ephedrine and that I don't need Adderall or don't deserve it I was verbally scolded as if I had caused it by being a drug addict but the bottom line is I wasn't then and have been told by my own in-house therapist that I am not "and don't ever let me hear you call yourself that again"!
As for my wife she wouldn't even smoke during any of her pregnanies so that is that!
Unless the data has changed. Dr. Jones explained and gave us the literature that explained the people's of the world having the highest rate of the condition.
It just so happens to be the Japanese and the Navajo Indians. I can't find my records but it was 1-5000 and 1-11,000 which side I'm not sure but I met one man coming back from Atlanta in Waffle House that had one side he covered with his hair that walked over to talk with Alex and I. I think I took Alex up for one checkup and unfortunately I left Valarie up there by herself one time because she flew home with Alex.
My wife and I tried to kinda counsel one family that was directed to us for advice but I don't remember their names or what happened in their case but I hope all went well for them.
To the story. Eventually after a trip to Tampa, Fl. to seek another doctor's help with Alex's hearing due to the scar tissue. Alexand I made one trip by ourselves so that my wife could stay with our business and on the way back I had the pleasure of taking my time and touring some homes but that's another story. I was available by Nextel or Southern Linc but I wasn't worried because Valarie could handle home building and still can like it or not! LOL!
I guess my point is that anything is possible in a positive way no matter what you are told and if your child has this condition or any condition research, peace and love!
My concern with my son is that his passion not become a problem because he did have one last procedure that worries me.
Dr. Pappas of Birmingham performed a procedure to install a Titanium stud with a quick connect that uses the bone behind the ear to transmits sound from a hearing aid to the Cochlear thus by-passing the ear drum.
I hope anyone that reads this blog gets some use from it and if you have any questions feel free to contact me via e-mail.
I hope one day a technology will become available that allows other types of miracles and if it were better than what my son has now I hope it has on-off switch or at least a mute button. How that would be done maybe someone is working on it now in some testing facility.
I'm just trying to make in this world but it sure helps to have friends and doctors like Dr. Jones, Gacek and Pappas. As for the doctor in Tampa my apologies because I called you last year and you returned my call. I just didn't get it for several weeks. You did practice may have been called the Tampa Ear Clinic!
Note: In the ear hearing aids do not work in cases like these because of irritation as there is to thin a skin over the bone.
To my Son: I liked Alexander because it brought to mind another "Great" "Alexander the great" and that you are to me and I want you to be that person to all you come in contact with!
-Dad
Floyd C. Wooley
P.S.- God Speed in your recovery Mr. Mark Ingram and I'm sure Trent Richardson and the rest of team will work their butts off Saturday! I hope your ready for Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions next week!
No comments:
Post a Comment