When 8-year-old Reis Henderson wears her wispy blonde hair in a ponytail, she shows off her proudest asset. The Colorado resident was born with microtia, a birth defect that impacted the shape of her right ear and made her deaf on that side.

For Reis, having microtia has given her a unique feature to feel confident about, and the third-grader is hoping to inspire others who may have similar experiences.

“It’s cool that you have this special thing that makes you different from other people because everyone’s unique in their own special way,” Reis said when asked what advice she would give to others with microtia.

There are four grades of microtia, ranging from an ear that has key anatomical features but may be smaller (grade 1 microtia) to the complete absence of the ear and ear canal (g

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