His parents, Tim and Callie Berger sympathized with him. “He’s so frustrated with himself and feels like he’s not good enough,” mum Callie told the news magazine. Fearing that the bullying would permanently damage his self-confidence, Tim and Kaley took Gage to see facial plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Mobley in Salt Lake City, Utah, for ear surgery.
At the clinic, Dr. Mobley used a set of wooden blocks to explain to Gage and his parents how he would reshape the boy’s ears. After the consultation, Dr. Mobley deemed Gage fit for surgery.
According to ABC News, Dr. Mobley shared that he was once in Gage’s position. He was also chosen because of his “big” ears and also underwent ear suspension surgery, although he was not a toddler, but at the age of 19. He also told the network that while he was not in favor of pediatric plastic surgery, he thought ear stapling could be beneficial.
“Some not-so-cute names often get attached to them at a young age, and they call them ‘bat ears’ or ‘elf ears,’ and that name kind of sticks with them later, in middle school, high school “, explained the doctor before starting the surgery to Gage. Dr Mobley also stressed that this type of surgery is “a very personal and private decision that parents and children must make together”.
Abi Tim was everything. “It’s no different than taking your child for braces to correct the appearance of crooked teeth,” the 31-year-old father told ABC. “We explained the operation to him, which lasts only two hours. He was very excited. Obviously, if he hadn’t been on board, we wouldn’t have touched it. was his.”
Two days passed and the bandages were ready to be removed. Here we see Gage’s ears covered, and Tygie even had a bandage covering his head.
“Are you ready to see your new ears?” Dr. Mobley is heard asking Gage. “Oh my God!”
Gage cried looking at her new ears in the mirror for the first time. He was grinning from ear to ear and seemed incredibly happy with the results.
Abi Tim also expressed his happiness. He told ABC that before the surgery, Gage’s ears made him an unwanted target of harassment, and over the past year, Gage, who was once “cheerful” and “outgoing,” began to hold back more and dread going to school.
“I would catch him looking in the mirror and trying to hold them back, and when he was nervous or upset or when he was in trouble, he would physically grab his ears,” Tim recalled. “He was unconscious. He thought his ears were the problem and that’s why he must be in trouble.”
Now, with his new ears, Gage is back to his happier old self, and Tim’s dad said he’s “much more confident.”
The story received generally positive reviews. Viewers commented on Gage’s beauty before and after the operation and agreed that they would have done the same for their children. One viewer, Joel Garner, commented: “I will support his parents in this. They may have avoided a loss of confidence and mental health issues for the rest of his life.”
