Superhero ‘Blue Ear’ Keeping New England Safe from Bad Guys
2012; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 65; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1097/01.hj.0000416308.89319.0b
ISSN2333-6218
Autores Tópico(s)Science Education and Perceptions
ResumoFigure: Anthony D'Allesandro dressed as Blue Ear, posing under drawings featuring Hawkeye from the West Coast Avengers (left) and the Blue Ear (right).My son Anthony's superhero status recently became official. Anthony's emergence as Blue Ear is thanks to a number of wonderful people at Marvel Comics. Anthony was your average 4-year-old living a life of secret “superness.” He, like many superheroes, did not have the easiest of starts. Anthony has a rare genetic disorder, mosaic trisomy 22, which is characterized by multiple challenges. Hearing loss, however, affects him the most. Anthony has complete unilateral loss, compounded by mild loss in his functioning ear, which is aggravated by persistent fluid. He did not hear at all for the first two and a half years. Anthony's complex diagnosis slowed his treatment; however, eventually everyone realized that this precocious little boy was being held back by his inability to communicate. Then his bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha) Softband arrived. We have a love/hate relationship with his Baha. The response is amazing when he wears it. It gives him access to a world he was completely missing. The downside is that the Baha hurts because it squeezes his head like a headband for hours. No matter how incredible the Baha is, a 4-year-old boy can only wear it for so long. We determined that some amplification to the functioning ear could help, and when Anthony was asked he agreed, as long as it was a “blue ear.” The team at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire obliged. Enter a bright blue ear mold and hearing aid device, and our battle for hearing aid use ended. The aid improved his hearing, not to the level of the Baha but enough to result in an appreciable difference. We were thrilled that he was wearing it. Things changed one day. He did not want to wear his hearing aid. “Superheroes don't wear blue ears,” he said. My heart was broken because for the first time my little guy noticed his differences. I did the only thing I could think to do — I lied. I told him that Captain America wore a hearing aid under his mask. He accepted this with some prodding but, I started to wonder: Is there a hearing-impaired superhero? I found little information after searching, so I went to the source. I emailed Marvel Comics hoping that I would find someone with a caring heart and some free time. I was lucky. Not only did the email reach devoted father Bill Rosemann, he also happened to have some amazing friends. Bill first sent us some information on Hawkeye from the West Coast Avengers who lost his hearing after an accident. It only got better from there. Nelson Ribero drew Anthony his own superhero called Blue Ear who listens from rooftops and rescues people in trouble. (I have it on good authority that he can hear an ant hiccup from across the country.) Manny Mederos went even further with his fabulous drawings of Hawkeye and Blue Ear. Anthony responded with, “That's me! I'm a superhero!” Life has been a whirlwind following his revelation, with TV, radio, and newspapers all wanting to tell the feel-good story of one little boy and his superhero pals. Team Blue Ear allowed Anthony to channel his inner superhero, to battle bad guys, and help people, all while wearing his blue hearing aid. His friends got in on the act, too. A band of heroes from Hear in New Hampshire, a nonprofit organization in Hooksett, protect New England. Does Anthony wear his hearing aid? Yes, but as for the Baha, that is a story for another day. HJ Return to thehearingjournal.com
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