Katia

Katia was born with microtia coupled with Goldenhar Syndrome on the left side of her face. Microtia is a birth defect where the exterior part of the ear is underdeveloped, while Goldenhar Syndrome refers to a condition that affects the underdevelopment of the lower-half of the face like the ears, mouth, and jaw. In Katia’s case, only her left ear and jaw have been affected, she suffers from hearing loss but with most cases of microtia, her inner ear developed correctly. Katia has been with Fresh Start since she was 2-years-old.

Katia received her first surgery at seven years old, since then she has received three more surgeries. During this surgery Dr. Brucker sculpted her left ear to make it more comparable to her right, this was Stage Four of her medical plan with Fresh Start. Now that her outer ear is reconstructed, the next step is to make it appear as similar to her right ear. She is a very active 9-year-old with a bubbly personality who loves purses. She comes to every surgery with her stuffed teddy bear, looking forward to post-surgery popsicles, ready to continue her journey with Fresh Start.