About Me

My name is Jay Kalathur, and I am a student at West Morris Mendham High School. I was born with Grade III, unilateral microtia. Living with a physical difference through 18 years has given me the opportunity to “hear” others in many different ways.

What is Microtia?

Microtia is a congenital ear deformity that occurs when the ear does not fully develop during the first trimester of pregnancy, that occurs about one in 5,000-7,000 births. When broken down in Latin, the term “microtia” is easy to understand. Micro=small; Otia=ear.

Growing up with a hearing disability 

Growing up with microtia gave me a very different experience as a child. All of the little, unnoticed details which people tend to overlook directly affected many of the aspects of my life as I grew up. It starts with little things like being able to wear sunglasses, to bigger things like having directional hearing. There is a matter of appearance, but also a matter of function with microtia. I’ve undergone four reconstructive operations on my ear to restore a “normal” looking appearance.

However, due to some complications associated with keloids and a lift failure, my ear still looks far from this “normal” standard, and I had to learn a tough lesson that there are no guarantees in medicine. My ear is too flat against my head to be convincing, and smaller than my left ear, which leaves me a bit askew when you look at me straight-on. I also have no hearing on this side, which creates problems past just a physical standpoint. Sitting on the front right side of my classroom, for example, is something I’ve had to do for all of my years at school. My own experiences as a patient with a deformity serve as motivation for my aspirations in the field of biology, reconstructive surgery, and helping others in similar situations. This project gave me the opportunity to use real world AI applications in conjunction with healthcare, and donate to a good cause as well!