Brave Cassidy
Hooper, 17, is excitedly preparing for complicated surgery at the end
of the month which will hopefully attach a nose to her face.
Born
with no eyes and no nose, the teen from Charlotte, North Carolina, will
undergo an operation on July 31st to have a bone removed from her rib
cage and attached to her forehead - forming a bridge for her new nose.
Having
already gone through preparatory surgery in June that has left her with
a flap of skin where her nose will be, the high-school senior is even
looking forward to starting her first job at the Library for the Blind
in Raleigh and taking her own solo commute.
Surgery in June: Cassidy Hooper underwent
surgery in last month that heralded her final operation to have a nose
attached to her face
Talking to WBTV, Hooper said that she was ecstatic the final surgeries would take her 'one step closer to getting a nose like everyone else!'
It
has taken six years for doctors to get the stage where they can be in a
position to create a nose for Cassidy - a process they described as
laying foundations for a house.
The operation in June moved Cassidy's
eyes closer together while taking a section of her forehead bone,
folding it down and also pulling enough skin downwards to create enough
necessary for the bone to be implanted and create a nose at the end of
the month.
Ready for One More Operation: Cassidy talks to a
reporter from WBTV - clearly visible is the patch of skin surgically
pulled down from her forehead - at the end of July bone from a rib will
be inserted as the final piece of her new nose
Slightly Tender: Cassidy Hooper described her
boneless nose as slightly painful and described her excitement that the
whole process is almost over
Telling WBTV that the
surgery has left her in some pain, a bandage-covered Cassidy said that
she was looking forward to her years of surgery coming to an end.
'I
was actually thinking of what the reaction of everyone would be when
that last surgery finished,' she said. 'And I think everyone's going to
be so excited.'
Friends of the Hooper family have recently established a website to help with Cassidy's mounting medical bills.
Susan
says insurance covers 80% of what's 'reasonable and customary'. The
other 20% is left to the Hooper family. To get more information or
help, go to www.CassidyHooper.org.
And
the good news has left the energetic teen ecstatic because for the
first time she will be able to smell and breathe through her own nose.
Cassidy Hooper is preparing for surgery to give
her a real nose built from cartilage and bones from her ribs after
five-years of preparations
When she was born, her condition left doctors baffled, especially since had no other medical problems and leads a healthy life.
'Her heart and brain are normal,' said her mother, kindergarten teacher, Susan Hooper to ABC News.
'Nothing else is going on with her.'
The
inspirational teenager has been going through skin graft surgeries to
adapt her face since she was 11 years old and is pleased to be entering
the final straight.
'I'll have a real nose like everyone else's,' said Cassidy of her July surgery.
Born with no nose or eyes, doctors have never
answered why she was born that way - but believe that she did not
develop them in the first two weeks of pregnancy in her mother's womb
Her surgeon, Dr. David Matthews has worked for the past five years expanding her face to create a bony opening.
In
the past, Cassidy used prosthetic eyes, but since they cost $5,000
each, the Hooper's could not afford to keep replacing them as their
daughter grew.
'Insurance
didn't pay one cent,' said Susan, 42. 'We had already started the
process to do her nose, moving her eyes closer together and having her
skull reshaped. We were not going to pay for it then have to pay again.'
Experts who spoke to ABC News explained how the surgery to replace Cassidy's nose will be completed.
The surgery will take place at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte and will be overseen by Dr. David Matthews (right)
'The nose is a little like the ear --
what you see isn't functional,' said Dr. Sherard A. Tatum III, director
of facial and reconstructive surgery at Upstate Golisano Children's
Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y.
'A
lot of people have noses they lost to trauma and cancer and breathe
fine and have a sense of smell. The nose is something we expect to see
in its conventional place and it's good to put glasses on, but it's not
100 percent necessary.'
'The
soft tissues that make up the inside and the outside skin and mucus
membrane don't have a lot of strength to stick out of the face like the
nose does. You can't just slap some skin up there and make it look like a
nose.'
Cassidy hopes one day for a career in radio and has recently spent time at her local radio station for experience
Cassidy's doctors have taken a
layered approach - placing the inside membrane first, then using
cartilage and bone from her skull create a nose structure and then cover
it with skin.
The hardest part for Cassidy has been overcoming the social difficulties.
She
has been attending Governor Morehead School, a specialist school for
the blind since the fifth grade and deals with taunts from children
well.
'Honestly, there's been a bit of teasing, but not more than any other child on a regular day,' said her mother.
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