Brendan's Cancer Treatment
Donation protected
18 months ago my younger brother, Brendan, went for a routine eye check. The optometrist told him that he may have a semi detached retina and/or a tumor in his right eye and recommended he follow up with his ophthalmologist. Brendan did exactly that only to be told he had been misinformed and had nothing to worry about. He had no symptoms to indicate that there was any abnormality in his eye or vision.
Three weeks ago he noticed the peripheral vision in his right eye was compromised and got it checked out immediately. This time Brendan was advised that the retina was, in fact, detached and that a tumor was the cause. Following more tests, our worst fears were confirmed - it was Ocular Melanoma. Thankfully a petscan revealed that the cancer had not spread to any other parts of his body.
Brendan is now undergoing treatment to try and reduce the size of the tumor. If it cannot be reduced then he will have to have the eye removed. Unfortunately this does not guarantee the end of the cancer. This is not a quick fix and as such my brother and his family have a long road ahead of them. Brendan has an incredibly supportive family who have helped him to make sense of the craziness that such a diagnosis can bring. As Brendan's older sister and only sibling, I wanted to take charge of the fundraising.
Brendan and Heidi, and all of his family feel very optimistic that this is being treated in the best possible manner and look to the future with great confidence and positivity. Unfortunately, the courses of treatment are not covered by insurance. As we all have come to know, health issues are draining - physically, emotionally, and financially. It breaks my heart that we could have been fighting this much sooner, but it is what it is.
Already the power of action, support, and positive thinking have gotten things off to an amazing start. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a moment to read about my brother's plight and helping whichever way you can.
Click on the following link to find out more about Brendan's condition:
http://www.ocularmelanoma.org/about-om.htm
Three weeks ago he noticed the peripheral vision in his right eye was compromised and got it checked out immediately. This time Brendan was advised that the retina was, in fact, detached and that a tumor was the cause. Following more tests, our worst fears were confirmed - it was Ocular Melanoma. Thankfully a petscan revealed that the cancer had not spread to any other parts of his body.
Brendan is now undergoing treatment to try and reduce the size of the tumor. If it cannot be reduced then he will have to have the eye removed. Unfortunately this does not guarantee the end of the cancer. This is not a quick fix and as such my brother and his family have a long road ahead of them. Brendan has an incredibly supportive family who have helped him to make sense of the craziness that such a diagnosis can bring. As Brendan's older sister and only sibling, I wanted to take charge of the fundraising.
Brendan and Heidi, and all of his family feel very optimistic that this is being treated in the best possible manner and look to the future with great confidence and positivity. Unfortunately, the courses of treatment are not covered by insurance. As we all have come to know, health issues are draining - physically, emotionally, and financially. It breaks my heart that we could have been fighting this much sooner, but it is what it is.
Already the power of action, support, and positive thinking have gotten things off to an amazing start. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a moment to read about my brother's plight and helping whichever way you can.
Click on the following link to find out more about Brendan's condition:
http://www.ocularmelanoma.org/about-om.htm
Organizer and beneficiary
Shelley Mac
Organizer
Austin, TX
Brendan McDonald
Beneficiary