EAST GRAND RAPIDS(WZZM)- A West Michigan girl will head to New York city Tuesday for a controversial operation on her ears. She was born with a congenital defect that makes her ears stick out. Some say it's un-necessary, while others say it's crucial to a child's emotional development.
Cate Phillips, 8, started noticing that she was different in kindergarten. "Some people said icky or gross. Or stuff like that."
The comments made Cate change the way she did her hair. "I used to wear my hair up when I was younger, but then I decided to wear it down."
Cate's mom, Brooke says, "It's never easy as a parent and it wasn't something that I could tell her that she could change, because it was something she couldn't change by herself."
Last winter, Cate and her mom saw a story on Good Morning America, about another 8-year old girl, with the same condition. A non-profit group called "Little Baby Face Foundation" had paid for the surgery to repair her ears.
The Phillips' immediately applied. Recently, they were chosen to go to New York city. Brooke says, "Absolutely, they're a Godsend. We felt so honored to be chosen." Brooke says she couldn't afford the surgery. Insurance companies still consider it a cosmetic procedure."Many doctors don't, they think that it's essential that congenital defects like this are corrected at an early age."
This week, a doctor in New York will perform the surgery on both ears. "The other ear, just sticks out a little bit. They're going to pin that back and the other one a bit more," says Cate.
It should be a quick recovery. In just a few weeks she will have new found confidence. She's never had her ears pierced and is already picking out earrings for her new look.
The Little Baby Face Foundation also helps children with cleft lips and other facial deformities. The Phillips family urges others to donate to the organization. Click here for more information.
By Sarah Sell