Noah Riley Heinz is the sweetest little boy! He is so funny, kind, and strong. He is a remarkable child who has been through so much already.
Noah was born premature with multiple birth defects. In addition to club feet and Hypospadia, Noah was also born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia on the left ear. He has no hearing on the left side and a mild hearing loss on the right side, which is corrected with a hearing aid. He began seeing multiple doctors and preparing for the tests and surgeries that were needed to correct the defects.
Around four months of age, Noah needed a hernia repaired, which was the first of many surgeries to come. The second set of surgeries were to correct his club feet. Noah had been through sets of progressive casts on his feet in an attempt to straighten them without surgery. After several months it was apparent that the casts were not correcting his feet. He began a series of surgeries. The first consisted of lengthening the tendons and ligaments in the foot as well as inserting pins to hold the bones into position. His feet were in casts coming out of surgery, but they still appeared to be in the same position as before the surgery. A few weeks later he was back in the hospital to have his feet recast and placed in the proper position. The next time he came back to the hospital, they removed the pins and recast his feet. Then finally, after giving his feet enough time to heal, his casts were removed for the final time. He wore a brace at night for about a year in order to make sure his feet maintained the appropriate positioning.
Noah has now begun a set of six surgeries to correct his Microtia. This process is known as total ear reconstruction. The surgeries are being done by Dr. Burt Brent in San Jose, CA, who is a pioneer in this procedure. In his first two surgeries (April and June 2010), Noah's rib cartilage was removed and sculpted to form his new ears, which were inserted under the skin behind his existing ears. In his second surgery (October 2010), Dr. Brent removed the parts of his original ears that will not be used to make his new ears. Then his new ears (under the skin) were attached to the outer parts that will be used. He will have three more surgeries to complete his journey.
Through everything Noah has endured, he has always had a great attitude and never complained. He continues to have a smile on his face and a personality that keeps smiles on the faces of others. When he talks about his new ears, here are a few things he has said he is excited about:
"I will have two ears just like everybody else"
"I'll get to wear 3d glasses at the movie; and sunglasses too"
"I can put a pencil behind my ear"
He really is a remarkable boy.
