Little Jack needs a new Ear.

This is our gorgeous little boy called Jack. He is 4 years old and he especially loves trucks, going on the tractor with Daddy, cooking, dancing, his new baby sister, his pet dog Louie, and pancakes. His best friend is his little brother Ash. He is clever, kind, brave and just an all-round beautiful little boy.

Jack was born with right sided microtia and atresia. A congenital ear deformity that basically means he has an unformed external ear and no ear canal on his right side. As a result Jack has significant hearing loss and has difficulty hearing in environments where there is background noise. He also cannot tell direction of sound as you need two ears to be able to do this. In a school setting he is likely to struggle. But most importantly in his own words, Jacks wish is to have “two working ears”.

In early 2018 Jack had a CT scan to determine whether or not he would be a good candidate to have a canalplasty. An operation to give him an ear canal and improve his hearing. His test results showed there is an 80% chance of him gaining normal hearing after the operation, or significantly improving it. This procedure is costly and not available in New Zealand or Australia, so is not covered at all by Jack's health insurance. The Tarver family will be required to travel to America and stay there for 4 weeks. A surgery to give Jack an external ear will be a second trip and operation again to America approximately 6 to 12 months later. Each operation will cost $60,000 with travel and accommodation on top of that.

In Australia Jack's parents are working hard to save the money required to make this happen for their little boy. So far amongst other things they have sold a family car, are hand rearing dairy calves to sell and are fundraising with the help of friends and family by selling Cadbury chocolates. Jack's kindy has been amazingly supportive and has been holding fundraising activities such as bake sales and pyjama days. His family in New Zealand is also fundraising to support Jack.

The first five years of development are the most crucial and as a result it is recommended to get this procedure done as soon as possible. With a goal of Jack having his canalplasty operation in late 2019, even with their efforts the Tarver family will fall short by approximately $20,000.

If you are in a position to help contribute towards this life changing operation for Jack, no matter how small it may seem it would be very much appreciated. The Tarver family are very grateful for any support you may be able to provide to help make this happen for their little boy.