Surgeon at Ft. Bliss grows new ear for soldier who lost ear in car wreck

Many of us have seen the sci-fi movies where doctors make limbs out of virtually anything.

Doctors at Fort Bliss created a whole new ear for a female soldier, harvested the ear in her forearm and reattached it on her head.

Pvt Shamika Shante Burrage was returning to El Paso when she was in a auto accident where she suffered serious injuries, including losing her left ear.

The chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Ft. Bliss, LTC Owen Johnson III, came up with innovative surgery never before attempted at an army hospital, to replace Buarrage’s ear.

Dr. Johnson took cartilage from Burrage’s ribs, formed an ear, and inserted it into her forearm to harvest.

What makes the procedure even more remarkable is Dr. Johnson did not use any metal or sutures to form the ear.

“We used a special type of super glue, basically, to keep the pieces of cartilage together. That way, there’s no steel wire at all that can then get infected,” said Dr. Johnson.

A year later, the ear was removed from Burrage’s forearm and reattached to the side of her head where her ear was missing.

Dr. Johnson explains that while the ear is swollen right now, the swelling will go down, and further procedures will allow Doctor Johnson to form it into the mirror image of Burrage’s right ear.

All the nerves in Burrage’s ear were also reattached, so the soldier can now hear normally.

The procedure has changed Burrage’s outlook in life. Both patient and doctor agree Burrage went from depression to a happier lifestyle.

Burrage plans to attend nursing school and eventually become a midwife after leaving the military.

“I went through this, I can go through anything. I mean I feel invincible to anything now. I mean, I can get through it,” said a glowing Burrage.