Family Hopes Boy’s Surgery Marks New Life

Sean Landaverde of Simi Valley should have been in school Tuesday, attending his first day of kindergarten.

But instead, the 5-year-old spent it at home, dreaming of what life will be like when the ears that had once been the object of taunts and jeers are just like everybody else’s.

After more than two years spent battling an HMO and coping as best as he could with the teasing of preschool classmates, Sean--who suffers from a congenital condition known as prominent ears--will leave today for a Valencia hospital to undergo otoplasty, or surgery to reshape the cartilage in his ears.

“He’s very excited,” said Sean’s mother, Ana Acosta. “He knows exactly what the doctor’s going to do and can’t wait to have him do it.”

But it has been a long road for Sean and his family.

According to his mother, the teasing left Sean frustrated, sad and angry. He withdrew from peers and would even repeat their taunts, saying “I’m Dumbo.”

When his parents eventually decided that corrective surgery was the only option that would bring their son relief from the constant barrage of name-calling, they contacted their health maintenance organization.

But the HMO was reluctant to pay for surgery, because it was deemed an unnecessary cosmetic luxury, Acosta said.

So Sean’s family contacted the California Society of Plastic Surgeons Alliance, a volunteer organization that helps raise funds to support corrective surgery and therapy for needy California children.

The alliance, in turn, contacted Simi Valley plastic surgeon Edward Pechter, who agreed to donate his services to help Sean lead a more normal life.

The surgery, which costs about $4,000, is simple and can be completed within a couple of hours, Pechter said.

The cartilage--the hard, flexible tissue that makes up the outer ears--will be reshaped and then stitched to bring the organs closer to the head.

Sean will then have to wear a bandage around his head for several days, and it will be at least a month until the swelling and bruises completely heal.

Which won’t be too soon for Sean, who is eager to start kindergarten with kids his own age.

“I like school,” he said. “I want to go back and make a present for the Easter rabbit.”