assistabbie - LATEST NEWS

Here's what's new in Abbie's life!

ABBIE RECEIVES HER PROSTHETIC EAR!

Abbie and her family went to Virginia on March 9 and 10, 2009 to get her new ear.

Abbie was greeted at Mr. Barron's office by his dog, Boulder, who remembered Abbie fondly

and did not leave her side during both appointments.

On day one, Mr. Robert Barron checked the fitting of Abbie's ear mold to her ear nub. It fit like a

glove, although for now it will be lower than her right ear until after her jaw surgeries, which will

then lift her cheek and ear considerably.

That evening he created Abbie's ear from a lightly colored silicone that closely matched her

skin tone. The next day her silicone ear was ready to be hand painted to match her other ear.

Mr. Barron skillfully added details and tinting for the ear to become lifelike. He even put a hole

in the lobe for Abbie to wear earrings in the future. Afterwards, he applied a clear coat to

preserve his artistry. He showed Abbie and her parents how to apply the adhesive to the

prosthesis and how to attach alongside Abbie's nub. Abbie will remove her ear each night

before bed to preserve the ear's integrity.

Abbie's teacher made her a journal to record this exciting event. Abbie filled the scrapbook

with photos and notes of her experience. She returned to school and gave a presentation in

front of her class explaining all the details of her new ear. "My teacher said she never had a

journal like this one that had so many pages. I did sixteen pages," said Abbie. Abbie also

commented, "Everyone at school liked my new ear. Sometimes I forget that I even have it on."

Mary and Greg Wathen shared, "It's amazing how real the ear looks and how simple it is to

take on and off. Bob Barron and his assistant, Ramona, were wonderful throughout."

Abbie and her family feel extremely blessed to have her dream

of a prosthetic ear finally come true. It would not have been

possible without all of you who cared enough to make a difference

in Abbie's life. The Wathen family would like to reach out to a very

special anonymous donor in the Florida area who read about Abbie's

cause in the local newspaper and was lead by God to help her. This

donor and all the donors will be prayed for always.

We continue our fundraising efforts to be able to correct Abbie's

jaw in the near future through multiple surgeries. Click here for more information

Click here to ASSIST ABBIE

ARCHIVED NEWS

ABBIE WILL GET HER NEW EAR IN MARCH!

Abbie met with Anaplastologist Robert R. Barron (retired CIA disguise specialist who has appeared on Oprah) in Virginia on December 29, 2008 to make a mold of her ears. Abbie's parents, Greg and Mary Wathen, felt very comfortable with Mr. Barron and confident in his specialized talent. "Bob Barron was truly as nice and compassionate as we had been told...we can't wait to see the finished product," said Greg.

Mr. Barron and Abbie Wathen

Abbie was feeling a bit under the weather on the day of her appointment, but was excited that she was getting closer to getting a new ear. "The stuff to make the mold to put on my ear was gooey," said Abbie. Mr. Barron took molds of both ears and will now handcraft Abbie's new ear, matching her skin tone precisely. He will incorporate part of her real earlobe to be used alongside the prosthetic ear. This construction will take a couple months for Mr. Barron to complete.

Taking a mold of Abbie's "little ear"

Abbie will return to Mr. Barron's Virgina office on March 9^th & 10^th to try on her new prosthetic ear and see if any changes need to be made. She will learn how to attach it, since it will be a removable ear until after her jaw surgeries. Once Abbie's jaw surgeries are finished (click here for more information), then the ear can be permanently attached. If all is perfect during these two days at Mr. Barron's office, then Abbie will be returning home with her new ear!

Copy mold of Abbie's "good ear"

Patiently waiting for the molds to dry

The three molds

We will certainly keep everyone posted on this monumental event, which could not have happened without the generous outpouring of love and donations from all who continue to help Abbie.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Click here to ASSIST ABBIE

A good friend of ours, Lisa, has a fabulous business with monogrammed & custom embroidery items.

Click here to visit her creations:www.initiallyimpressed.com

ARCHIVED NEWS

Abbie and her family will travel to Virginia this month. They have an appointment on December

29, 2008 with Anaplastologist Robert R. Barron (retired CIA disguise specialist who has appeared

on Oprah) to discuss creating Abbie's prosthetic ear.

Abbie was featured in her local newspaper, The Sun. Her Brownie Troop 4063 held a

Bake Sale Fundraiser on November 15, 2008 to raise money for Abbie's ear. Also, mentioned was

Abbie's mom and the marathon she will run in Abbie's honor.

MARATHON NEWS!

On November 30, 2008 Abbie's mom, Mary, and her college friend, Stacy, ran the Space Coast

Marathon in Cocoa Village, Florida . In Abbie's honor, they ran their first marathon ever, side by side, wearing a photo of Abbie on their backs. Their families and friends followed

along the course to cheer them on.

Stacy, Abbie, and Mary

Proud mother and daughter

Mary and Stacy completed the race with amazing times, just seconds apart. There were 500 participants and Mary wore #13 and finished at 4:34:33 (#263) and Stacy wore #17 and

finished at 4:34:53 (#266). We are very proud of their accomplishment! They are now

setting their sights on the 2009 NYC Marathon.