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Miracle Ear
MATTIE ROLLINS CLIBURN
Jessi George
“As Jesus was walking along, he
saw a man who had been blind from
birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked
him, “why was this man born blind?
Was it because of his own sins or his
parents’ sins?”
“It was not because of his sins or
his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered.
“This happened so the power of
God could be seen in him.”
–John 9:2-3
When Mattie Rollins Cliburn was born
with microtia atresia of the right ear, her
parents were shocked and devastated as to
what this would mean for their precious little
girl. Microtia atresia causes the underdevelopment
of the ear in the womb often resulting in
an ear that is small, malformed, or missing.
Ninety percent of children born with this
condition also have hearing loss as the condition
effects the development of the ear canal.
Matt and Erin Cliburn of Brandon were
immediately thrown into the world of
specialists, medical tests, and complicated
decisions on how to help their daughter.
However, in the midst of confusion and
heartache, Erin felt the Lord promise her that
He was going to do something BIG through
all of this suffering. And seven years later,
Matt, Erin, and Mattie Rollins saw that
promise come to fulfillment. God wanted to
display His big power through the life of little
Mattie Rollins Cliburn.
When Mattie Rollins was five years old,
Matt and Erin started taking her to specialists
to learn what their options were for corrective
surgery that would allow their daughter to
hear on her right side and to have a more
“normal” looking ear. Those appointments
were not very encouraging as they realized
that most of their options were complex,
painful, and had high rates of failure.
Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged,
Erin went home and began an internet search
to try to make sense of their options. It was
in that search that she discovered Dr. Sheryl
Lewin in California. Dr. Lewin developed
and patented a new technology for a one-piece
porous ear implant called a “Lewin” ear. The
doctor was able to scan Mattie Rollins’ good
ear then mold, cut, and tweak the implant to
create a perfect replica of her left ear.
Dr. Lewin’s one-piece porous implants
are a much stronger and safer option for
microtia patients as all other procedures have
a high risk of fracture and therefore failure
of the implant. The implant would then be
covered with skin grafts to restore the ear to
what it would have looked like if it had
developed normally.
The Cliburns now know that discovery
was no accident, but it was the first step of the
Lord fulfilling the promise He made to them
at Mattie Rollins’ birth.
Erin reached out to Dr. Lewin’s office in
California and began the process of scheduling
surgery for Mattie Rollins. They had one
big obstacle in their way, though. The cost of
the surgery was astronomical, and Dr. Lewin
was not in the network of providers of their
insurance. With this being a completely new
surgery and technology, the insurance
company also had to approve it as “medically
necessary” for them to proceed.
The process was slow, but God began
opening doors for this family as they began to
get initial approvals that the surgery was
indeed medically necessary for Mattie Rollins
to hear on her right side. The Cliburns began
to feel like the Lord was calling them to
proceed and have faith that He would provide
for them every step of the way, so they booked
the surgery for May 20, 2021, and waited and
prayed for God to act on their behalf.
Hometown MADISON • 23