Did you know that KISS legendary musician Paul Stanley, newly inducted in the 29th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a tough childhood because of a condition called Microtia?
Stanley’s memoir called ‘Face the Music: A Life Exposed,’ reveals that the handsome rocker was born with a condition called Microtia which prevents the ear from forming properly.
Stanley was born with a stump and is deaf on his right side. This disability led to a childhood marked by severe bullying resulting in a general mistrust of people. Later in life he had an ear recreated through extensive plastic surgery, but the lead man for the mega-group harbored deep feelings of inferiority that took decades to deal with, even after his reconstruction.
Stanley told Rob Shuter of naughtybutnice.com: “What I found over the years was that what you deny and cover up doesn’t cease to exist and even if you can hide something from the public, you can’t hide it from yourself. Whether it’s pain or a sense of inferiority, that will remain and that doesn’t change until you come to grips with it, you get to the bottom of it and you resolve it.”
Stanley’s story resonates with Dr. Sheryl Lewin, a Craniofacial trained, board certified Plastic Surgeon who performs many Microtia surgeries at the K and B Surgical Center in Beverly Hills. She has devoted her career to ear reconstruction for Microtia patients, and has recently formed a foundation, Earicles (Miracles for Ears) for children who cannot afford these expensive ear reconstruction surgeries.
Dr. Lewin has devoted her career to ear reconstruction. She has performed over 800 surgeries for children with Microtia. Dr. Lewin’s creative and artistic skills have enabled her to develop surgical advances in Medpor ear reconstruction that reduce scarring, improve visual outcomes, and eliminate skin grafts from other parts of the body through tissue expansion.
Last year she was part of an amazing conference in the LA area (Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes), and was attended by families from around the world (including all over the US, Europe and South Korea) with children and adults born with Microtia.
They came to learn more about this condition, and seek information on what can be done to help hearing and reconstruction of an ear(s). The conference was a huge success, and it will be held again at Terranea on July 12, 2014.
The conference is a 3 day comprehensive event with Microtia and Atresia Surgeons Dr. Sheryl Lewin, Dr. Arturo Bonilla and Dr. Bradley Kesser along with several other surgeons and speakers.
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