Verbena O'Brien Cancer Donations

On October 31st, my brother David and his wife Erin took their 1-year-old daughter Verbena to the pediatric eye doctor. They thought there might be a minor issue with her right eye. Every so often, it wasn’t tracking as well as her other eye. After a thorough exam, they received the devastating news that Verbena had a tumor in her right eye. She was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, an extremely rare cancer of the eye that affects only 200-300 children in the US each year. If left untreated, it would be fatal.

Needless to say, David and Erin were in complete shock. Receiving this news as a parent is heartbreaking and overwhelming. David and Erin had no choice but to put life on hold and spring into action. They were referred to a specialist in Houston who specializes in a highly advanced procedure for fighting this type of cancer. Over the course of the next week, Verbena underwent a series of tests under anesthesia. A treatment plan was created involving a new form of surgery. On November 7th Verbena received her first chemotherapy treatment from a neurosurgeon-led team. A catheter was inserted into the artery in her leg and navigated up through her heart, near to her brain and into the optic vein directly into the back of her right eye. Chemo is delivered directly at the tumor site. This is an advanced new method of treatment for Retinoblastoma, dramatically improving outcomes compared to systemic chemotherapy through the whole body. It’s only available in a handful of places in the US and requires this delicate surgery each time This was the first of multiple cycles of chemo and sedated examinations Verbena will endure in the coming months. The family must travel on a regular basis to Houston for years to come until the cancer is fully eradicated with no remissions by age 5.

David and Erin have been extremely impressed with the care and technology at this hospital and are so grateful to be driving distance away. While she will never have full vision in her right eye, the prognosis is good that little Verbena will be able to keep her eye and beat the cancer. But it is a long and difficult road ahead.

Although the whole family is grateful for this news, the path ahead is extremely challenging. David and Erin own and operate their own residential architecture studio. There is no vacation time or sick leave when you run a small business. When they stop working to take care of her, all income stops. Insurance is helpful but the list of medical bills is extremely high. Also now home daycare is required to keep Verbena away from other kids during her chemo treatments. Their childcare costs double each month for a home nanny that only sees Verbena. Hotel stays, additional care needed for their 7 year old son Dresden, thousands of miles of driving over the coming months, out of pocket expenses not covered by insurance, and so much more will challenge their family.

If you are so inclined, we encourage you to consider a small donation to Verbena’s medical fund to lessen at least one burden on the family. Thank you for your generosity and know that we are sending gratitude to you as we all work to get through this next year, which will be the hardest.

Happy Holidays and lots of love, Meaghan & the rest of the O’Brien and Lindley family.