Quito, Ecuador
Dr. Kolstad traveled to Quito, Ecuador with the Help Us Give Smiles organization on a mission dedicated to treating microtia. This is a congenital condition in which children are born with underdeveloped or absent ears. Of all his humanitarian missions, this proved to be one of the most physically demanding. Sitting at an elevation of more than 9,300 feet, Quito’s high altitude made daily headaches and fatigue a constant challenge. Most days began before sunrise at 5:30 AM, with the team often not returning to the hotel until after midnight.
Reconstruction of the ear is among the most technically complex procedures in pediatric plastic surgery. To create a new ear, surgeons remove cartilage from four to five ribs and carefully sculpt it into the framework of a natural ear. Because the reconstruction process is staged, most patients require at least two major operations performed over multiple years. Families in Quito often had to return the following year to continue the next phase of surgery. Additional procedures for scar revision and contour refinement were common, and many children ultimately underwent four or more surgeries before their reconstruction was complete.
At the conclusion of the mission, a young girl stood before the audience and read a letter to the surgical team and families. She described her feelings of shame that she brought to her family because she was born different. She told the audience that she endured the pain of the surgeries, year after year, for a total of four, so that her parents would be proud of her again. Her message was directed not only to the surgeons, but also to the younger children just beginning their own journeys. She finished by saying she was proud of being part of a “big family of little ears.”
