(CNN) - A U.S. Army soldier who lost her ear in a near-fatal car accident now has a new one that she grew herself.
Along with a little help from Doctors at William Beaumont Army Medical Center.
Doctors harvested cartilage from the ribs of Shamika Burrage, who lost her left ear in a car accident two years ago.
Then, using a technique called prelaminated forearm free flap, they implanted the cartilage under the skin of her arm. The new ear grew under the skin of her arm -- even developing blood vessels.
Doctors have now successfully transplanted the ear from her arm to her head.
She's still got two more surgeries to go, but Burrage says she feels more optimistic about her future than ever.
