Ear Savers

BY HANNAH GILL

In January of this year, Maddix Small got sick and spent three days in the hospital in Wichita, Kansas. The fourteen-year-old from Neodesha, Kansas had two secondary infections from a virus, and when he was discharged from the hospital, he was told that if he got sick at all before his appointment at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, he would need to be on medication because they weren’t sure if the infection could come back or not. That wasn’t a big deal, at least, it wasn’t until COVID-19.

Maddix Small used his 3D printer to make ear savers for health care professionals, to make it more comfortable to wear masks.

Courtesy photo.

Maddix’s appointment at Children’s Mercy was supposed to be on March 23, the same day of the “stay at home” order in Kansas and all appointments were canceled, so until the Smalls get some answers, Maddix doesn’t leave the house much, except to help feed and do chores.

“They know he has an immunodeficiency, they don’t think its leukemia based on early bloodwork, but they don’t know what it is or how to handle it,” says his mother, Nicole. “To say he’s leaving the farm or ranch now? No, we’re being super protective of him.”

To pass the time, Maddix has taken to using his 3D printer to print ear savers, little tabs with hooks that provide relief for healthcare workers who are wearing PPE, personal protective equipment, for extended periods of time. Healthcare workers like the ones who not too long ago, worked to save his own life.

The initial idea behind the 3D printer that Maddix received as a Christmas gift was that, maybe one day, he would be able to print parts for machinery on the family’s cow/calf, corn, wheat and soybean operation.

“We thought it would be something good for him to learn,” says Nicole.

Maddix had a cheap one a few years ago, but it didn’t last long. The most recent 3D printer, a Dremel, cost around 600 dollars, had good reviews and the customer service has been very helpful when it comes to printing files.

“There’s definitely a learning curve when it comes to 3D printing,” says Nicole. “It’s not like a printer you just plug into your computer.”

Designing patterns can be complicated. There is 3D software that developers can use to create files to print and there are also 3D scanners that scan a 3D object and create the file to print an identical object. Unfortunately, the scanners are way more expensive than the printers themselves, so when a plastic part on the planter broke recently, the Smalls resorted to superglue until they could get a replacement from town.

“We tried a scanner app on the phone, which would probably work if it was a solid piece, but it had a hollow part and we couldn’t get it to scan right,” says Nicole. “My husband was like, ‘I wonder what this is going to cost me,’ and you know, that scanner might look pretty cheap after you have to drive to town, or if you have to wait a day or two for a part to get here.”

Many patterns though, are available online, which is where Maddix found the pattern for the ear savers after Nicole saw a Facebook post about a Boy Scout that was printing ear savers.

He asked around to see if there was a need for ear savers, and received a positive response. Since then, Maddix has spent over 30 hours printing the ear savers that he in turn has been donating directly to healthcare workers.

“The large ones take about 30 minutes each to print, the smaller ones take 12 minutes,” says Maddix.

The filament that creates the printed object, which is made from corn or sugar cane, costs about 25 cents for the large ear savers and 10 cents for the smaller ones. After word got around, Maddix was approached by Kansas Corn, who offered him a grant to help pay for the filament, as well as to cover the shipping costs he was incurring.

“This is a way for him sto stay busy and help those who kept him alive. We started with our local doctor’s office, the hospital he was transferred out of, the pharmacy, and then it just kind of grew from there,” says Nicole.