Maurice

In memory of Maurice, by Anne-Marie Riedinger

Auricular prosthesis

“Mauricio was one of the last young miners to be taken on in the coal mines before they were progressively closed down. His ear was ripped off in a firedamp explosion in 1986.

He was my very first patients to receive an auricular prosthesis and was sent to me by Professor Champy of Strasbourg Hospital following an attempt at surgical reconstruction.

I made an epithesis fixed with adhesive in 1986 and then an epithesis clipped onto a gold bar as soon as implants became available in Strasbourg in 1991. I soon got along really well with Mauricio and his wife, Nadine. Our children were the same age and we chatted about their education during our annual appointments. He was so proud of his sons! His eldest son had studied engineering and I remember that the younger son, still a teenager, wanted to sport dreadlocks. Mauricio was adamantly against it. Too grubby, too much like a hippy, he used to tell me. But a year later, his son was nonetheless flaunting his dreadlocks - which he kept for some time. Another year passed and Mauricio could breathe again – his son had at last cut his hair and he admitted that he thought he was a very handsome young lad!

Unfortunately a short time afterwards in 2009, Mauricio passed away in an accident. A beautiful bond had been built up between us over more than 20 years, and we still receive news about his family. All these unique relationships that we share with our patients, built up on trust, attentiveness and respect, mean we are privileged to witness their joys as well as their sorrows, and learn from the extraordinary life lessons they teach us.”