// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
'I could never hear on my left side - until I got a prosthetic ear'
Stephen Gilbert was born with unilateral microtia, a rare condition in which the external ear is underdeveloped or missing on one side
Imagine being born without an ear and spending your entire life without being able to hear on one side.
Stephen Gilbert, 74, from Aghalee, was born with unilateral microtia, a rare condition in which the external ear is underdeveloped or missing on one side.
But he was recently fitted with a newly-designed prosthesis that accommodates a hearing aid, allowing him to hear on his left side for the first time.
That's thanks to oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Ulster Hospital; the only service of its kind in Northern Ireland, providing bespoke prostheses for people affected by birth defects, traumatic injuries and cancer surgery.
"To be able to hear someone on my left that I could never do before is just very special," Gilbert said.
"It's a huge thing to be able to have a prosthetic part of your face."
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"In my case with an ear, it's not just as visual as someone maybe needing a prosthetic for the front part of their face, maybe through injury or through cancer," he added.
"I'm very conscious of that, but I'm very grateful for what has happened to me."