The average person tends to think of cosmetic surgery when he or she faces a very serious problem. They usually ponder it for some time and decide once they are in their adult years. There are many reasons to go about it in this way. For starters, the reasons kids usually want surgery are not the right ones. They might think something is a very big issue when it really isn’t. Now, in the following video, one Utah family is allowing their 6-year-old son to have cosmetic surgery.
Timothy Berger and his wife Kallie Berger have lived some tough times. Their son, Gage Berger, has been subject to relentless bullying. This all started at the age of 5 “from kids who called him elf ears.” The bullying got so bad that their son’s happy demeanor started to fade away to a black silent one. Their son became introverted and hated going to school. The reason: his ears.
Timothy tells ABC News: “I’d catch him looking in the mirror and trying to pin them back, and when he got nervous or upset or when he was in trouble, he’d physically grab his ears,” The Bergers fear that the bullying is starting to take its toll on Gage’s self-esteem. When he was just a first grader, Gage told Inside Edition: “I just don’t want to be made fun of.”
His parents have decided to go ahead with looking for cosmetic surgery options to get his ears pinned. They are confident this will stop the bullying and help with their son’s self-esteem. “This isn’t any different than taking your child to get braces to ‘fix’ the appearance of crooked teeth,” explains Timothy to ABC News. “We explained to him the surgery, which is only a short two-hour procedure. He was so excited for it. Obviously, if he wasn’t on board with it, we wouldn’t have touched him. Ultimately, we told him it was up to him.”
Now that Gage is okay with the surgery, the Berger’s enlist the help of Dr. Steven Mobley. He is a plastic surgeon who also had ear-pinning surgery at the age of 19, he was also made fun of as a child. They are confident that this doctor would know exactly where Gage is coming from. Although Mobley isn’t endorsing cosmetic surgery for children, he understands this is a personal and private decision for the patient and his family.
When interviewed about his patients, the surgeon says: “I get a lot of patients with big ears, and some of them decide they like their ears and they have the strength and resilience to stand up to bullies,” he explains. “But I also have other patients who are just crushed, and they shouldn’t be shamed for wanting a procedure that helps them gain back their confidence.” The day of the surgery finally arrives and his parents are a little nervous. The surgeon goes ahead with the surgery. Gage does very well and is sent home to recover. He gets a follow-up appointment to get the bandages off. I can’t wait to see!