Victoria Advocate
Can you see the light?
BY PAMELA BOND - VICTORIA ADVOCATE
April 30, 2008 - 8:25 p.m.
The first time I met 7-year-old Paden Lane McDonald, he sat right next to me on his couch and peered at me out of the corner of his eyes. After asking my name, he slid to the floor and felt my purse with his hands.
“Do you have anything that lights up in here?” he asked.
As I watched Paden take apart and put back together my cell phone, the only thing I had that lit up, his mother, Shalonn Dehn, said that watching Paden adapt to life with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, an underdevelopment of the optic nerve during pregnancy, had been hard.
“It’s the leading cause of childhood blindness,” Dehn said. “But usually there are so many other problems involved, the vision issues get pushed to the back. We probably would never have heard of it if he didn’t have it. We are lucky that he has his peripheral vision and light perception.”
There is hope
When Paden was 3 months old, Dehn and his father, Roger McDonald Jr., noticed that he was not tracking things with his eyes. Paden was diagnosed six months later with ONH and told there was no cure. However, in December Dehn heard the story of girl with ONH who had received treatment that restored some of her sight.
At Xiaoshan Hospital in Hang Zhou, China, patients with ONH are receiving treatments of umbilical stem cords through IV and spinal injections that restored some of the underformed cells of the optic nerve and therefore their sight. After months of research and consultations, Paden will receive five treatments, which consist of 10 million to 15 million stem cells, between May 19 and June 17 in China.
The treatment alone costs more than $20,000 and does not include travel and living expenses in China or follow-up appointments. Dehn took out a loan to pay for the medical treatment and Paden’s family has been holding fundraisers since January to pay off the loan that includes selling T-shirts with the slogan “Can You See the Light?”
Dehn said that doctors told them not to expect changes until six to nine months after the treatments, but she said that other patients often see subtle improvements within a week to a month.
“We may come home, a year down the road, and not see a thing, but even if nothing happens, we tried,”Dehn said. “And at least he does have some vision. It’s hard to keep my hopes in check because just watching the videos of how the other kids responded after treatment gives you hope. That makes it more real.”
Dehn said she is nervous about living in China for a month, but said it’s comforting to know that other American families will be at the hospital as well. Paden, however, loudly affirmed that he’s “not scared.”
through Paden's eyes
Looking through Paden’s eyes would be like having a blind spot when looking straight ahead. His vision is 20/400, so he is legally blind, but since he has peripheral vision he can see out of the corner of his eyes, which his mom said gives him an advantage compared to most children with ONH.
“He sees very well for his condition. He’s adapted well,” Dehn said. “It’s hard for me. I tried to see like he does, through the corners of my eyes, and I could only do it for a few minutes. It killed my eyes.”
Paden, who is in kindergarten at Northside Baptist Church, said he doesn’t like school.
His mother said that homework is a constant struggle because his eyes are tired by the end of the day, but he does know all the colors and can read letters and numbers. Using a larger print on yellow instead of white paper and light boxes will help him see worksheets better.
“Teachers were nervous to deal with him at first,” Dehn said. “He tries to be lazy and get others to do stuff for him. There’s lots of pushing, but not too hard because he’ll get turned off. He gets frustrated very easily.”
The other children do not usually pick on Paden because of his condition, but Dehn said that another girl in his class has a walking problem, so most of Paden’s classmates knew how to treat someone with a disability. The school’s Christian environment also helps because they teach a lot of acceptance, she said.
“There were times when kids would say that he’s blind, which is not a word we’ve used with him, and it would hurt his feelings,” Dehn said. “He didn’t know how to handle it but I told him people talk, here’s how we handle it and then we move on. One of the worst nights of my life was when I went to register him for public school, in case he didn’t get in to Northside, and we weren’t there for 10 minutes when these boys came up and started picking on him. It was hard to watch.”
Although things like feeding himself took longer to learn, Paden is very musically inclined and likes to play the keyboard and drums and make up his own songs. He is also interested in all kinds of batteries and is very mechanical, he can take apart and put together almost anything, mostly by touch.
“In public you’d never know anything was different about him because he gets in just as much trouble as any other kid,”Dehn said. “Now we can go on with a new chapter in our lives and hopefully we’ll be extremely happy with the results.”
Pamela Bond is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6578 or pbond@vicad.com, or comment on this story at .
Sightfest at Jaycee Hall on Saturday, May 17, to raise money for Paden McDonald’s treatments.
11 a.m. Barbecue
12:30 p.m. Beauty-Less contest
1 p.m. Magician
2 p.m. Auction
3:30 p.m. Bucket raffle
5:15 p.m. Raffle drawing
8 p.m. Band
9:30 p.m. DJ
10:30 p.m. Band
For more information on Paden or his treatment, visit www.padenlane.com or www.stemcellschina.com.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/793/story/238202.html
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Parents raise money for trips to China to try to give sight to children
by Lisa Rose, KY3 News
Story Published: Apr 28, 2008 at 10:05 PM CDT
Story Updated: Apr 29, 2008 at 3:45 PM CDT
By Gene Hartley
Video
WEBB CITY, Mo. -- Parents by the hundreds are traveling halfway around the world these days in pursuit of a new cutting edge medical treatment for their children. They're not coming to the United States, though. Many of them from the Ozarks are headed to China, looking for a modern-day miracle.
"Honestly, China's one of the countries I probably know the least about,” said Dawn Barlett of Webb City.
Most of us would never think of China as a world leader in medical care.
"They assured me it was clean,” said Barlett. “I don't want dirty needles.”
But these days, parents here in the Ozarks are booking appointments for their kids on the other side of the world.
"It was just me and my 5-year-old daughter going on the other side of the world,” said Barlett.
"If this is the only place that does it, this is where we're going to go,” said Colin and Kassidy Rose of Nixa.
Parents are going half way around the world for an experimental medical treatment that's not legal in the United States. They're going no matter the cultural differences and no matter the inconveniences.
“In China, they don't serve their patients food. You have to bring in all your own food. They say they have snake over there,” said Colin Rose.
“A lot of things, we weren't used to. We're used to indoor plumbing. The supermarkets were an experience. They have chicken, duck carcasses, live fish and frogs and snakes,” said Barlett.
The Roses and Barlett may have decided the challenges were too daunting to dare if they weren't so determined to help their kids. Rylea Barlett, 6, and Konnor Rose, 4, are both blind. Their optic nerves never fully developed at birth.
"It really hit me hard,” said Colin Rose.
It's a devastating prognosis for parents to hear.
“They said there was nothing they could do for her,” said Barlett.
Barlett never really accepted it. She worked hard to make sure Rylea could excel without sight, all the while scouring the world to give her daughter a future with sight.
Last year, Barlett thinks she found the closest thing to a cure in China, where doctors are using stem cells to try to develop new optic nerves. It's a procedure that's never even been clinically tested in the United States because of the government's severe restrictions on stem cell research.
"Whenever we went over, we expected to get four stem cell transplants,” said Barlett.
Those transplants are simple infusions of newborn umbilical cord cells, pumped through an IV or an epidural-like procedure.
Barlett and Rylea spent a month in China, trying not to get their hopes up too high since Rylea had never even been sensitive to light.
"A week after her first transplant, she responded to a pin light by turning away each time,” she said.
It was a first and, in the nine months since those stem cell transplants, Barlett says Rylea's progress has been miraculous.
It's just the kind of miracle for which the Roses have been praying for their son. So, like other hopeful parents around the world, the Roses are hard at work saving and raising money to go to China.
"The down payment is huge,” said Kassidy Rose.
The package price for the month-long series of stem cell infusions is $30,0000. Add to that airfare, food and lodging.
"I don't know what we're expecting; any improvement would be worth it,” said Colin Rose.
For Rylea, mom says the improvement has been so significant that she's planning another trip to China this summer. It's a labor of love for her to see just how much Rylea can really see.
"For now, where we are, it's an absolute blessing. It's one of those things where we hope for the absolute best but take whatever you're given,” said Barlett.
Much of China's stem cell research and experimental treatments have gone undocumented in Western medical journals. So some doctors in the United States reserve judgment on what these parents are experiencing. Other physicians are blatantly skeptical.
China, by the way, is experimenting with stem cell infusions on patients with many other conditions, including autism, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's Disease.
There an age limit for this treatment. You can give sight but not vision after a certain age.
At least four families in the Ozarks are raising money to pay for their children to go to China.
http://www.ky3.com/news/local/18345884.html
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Yaussi makes kicks last
Colin LindenmayerApril 26, 2008Even though she can't see the field, Macie Morse attends every Colorado Ice home game.Macie, a 15-year-old ninth grader at Wellington Junior High School, has optic nerve hypoplasia. Ice kicker Deric Yaussi has developed a fundraiser to pay for a procedure to hopefully cure the blindness-causing syndrome.The fundraiser, dubbed "Kickin' It For Macie," has its own announcement during halftime of United Indoor Football League games at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. People are encouraged to donate any amount of money per point Yaussi scores this season. In addition, buckets are passed through the arena during the game to collect donations from the crowd."I've heard about other fundraisers throughout the league and I thought it was my turn," Yaussi said.At the Ice's home opener on April 10, fans donated over $1,000. Money collected from the Ice's April 18 game combined with other donation sources for Macie total about $11,000."We're getting donations from people all over that we don't even know and never heard of just because they know that Deric is doing this," Macie's mom, Rochelle Morse, said.Yaussi said he hopes to raise all the money for the procedure -- which costs about $30,000 and isn't offered in the U.S. -- but if the funds fall short, he's glad he gave the family a head start."The goal right now is just to raise as much as possible," Yaussi said. "(Macie's) family is very appreciative for what I'm doing."Optic nerve hypoplasia is one of the leading causes of blindness in children. The disorder causes fibers in the eyes' nerves to stop growing. The procedure the Morses have decided on, which is only offered in China, gives the patient cord blood stemcell injections. The blood comes from donated umbilical cords.Though Macie's operation would be considered a case study, the injections have been performed on 10 children, all of which experienced improvements in their vision. Macie has no vision in one eye and very poor vision in the other.When Yaussi informed the Morses he had decided to help raise money for the injection, the family flooded with emotion."Macie started crying. Her mom got real emotional," Yaussi said.Said Rochelle: "I don't even have words for it. People just don't do that nowadays."Yaussi met the Morses through his mom, Carol Yaussi, who works with Rochelle at Poudre High School. When the two became friends and introduced their families to each other, Yaussi found out about Macie's condition.He said he created the fund because he had the ability to help a family friend in need.The fundraiser isn't distracting Yaussi from his kicking. Heading into tonight's road game against the Omaha Beef, he ranks first among United Indoor Football League kickers in scoring with 56 points, first in field goals per game with 1.83, and first in point-after-touchdown percentage at 92 percent (23-for-25).
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20080426/SPORTS/824980934
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20080426/SPORTS/824980934
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Treatment helps child see
Treatment helps child see
By DONNA HICKMAN
(Published April 20, 2008)
BELGRADE, Mo. — When 6-year-old Lydia Olmsted wakes up at her grandmother's home in Belgrade, she sits up in bed and tells her, "Daylight Granny, time to get up!" It's music to Joan Olmsted's ears.
For the first time, Lydia is seeing light like the sun bursting through the windows at sunrise. She has Septo-Optic Dysplasia. That means her eyes don't have enough nerve fibers for the brain to receive visual cues from the eyes.
But thanks to stem cell treatments in China in January, Lydia can see light.
It started with the lights still on the Christmas trees in the hospital where she was treated. Lydia could see them. And what light she could see did not hurt her eyes as it did before.
"I can see the light under the bathroom door, but I can't see colors," Lydia explained in a visit to the Daily Journal earlier this month. "I'd like to see the color yellow because that's my favorite."
The stem cell treatment is experimental and is not performed in the U.S. Joan said until Lydia's mom, Juli, found out about it, she didn't know there was anything that could help her daughter see. A little girl who was the first to be treated 8 month ago is now seeing colors.
"We are not sure yet what the outcome will be," said Juli. "The process will take at least a year. She is only the seventh child to do this as part of a case study. They don't guarantee anything."
The stem cells are thought to help the body repair itself. As Juli explains it, the optic tissue in Lydia's eyes had become atrophied from lack of use. The stem cells will become Lydia's optic nerve cells.
The company conducting the study is Beike BioTech.
There is a lot of medical follow-up to be done and Lydia expected to need expensive hyperbaric treatments when she returned, but those are on hold for now. Still, funds are needed to pay the additional medical costs. Another trip to China could be needed next year. Lydia has regular cat scans and uses eye drops as doctors check to see if her optic nerve is developing.
The Park Hills Lions Club gave $1,000 to Lydia's Lights, the name of her fundraising effort.
Lydia and her mother live in Columbia, but Lydia spent her spring break week in Belgrade with her grandmother. It's where Juli grew up.
Since the story first ran in the Daily Journal on Jan. 9, the family has been contacted by others who have loved ones with the same eye disorder. Lydia is mystified by all the interest in her.
"One day, we were getting ready to go to Bismarck and somebody called and they were wondering how I was doing," she recalled. Her grandmother explained the caller was someone she knew that Lydia did not.
"But there have been other calls and e-mails from people we don't know," said Joan. "People are so generous and so concerned. Everywhere I go, people say, 'Hello, how's Lydia?'"
For a month, doctors put umbilical stem cells into Lydia's body through an intravenous injection and four injections into her spine. It cost about $18,000. Such experimental treatments done in China have come under fire from some medical researchers in the U.S.
They caution the results have not been proven. Juli said she knew about all the criticism as she arranged for her daughter's treatment. She said she tells others considering their options to carefully weigh the pros and cons. She believes it was right for Lydia. She says she has faith in the process.
After the second treatment, Lydia began to say she saw the lights on the Christmas tree. Juli was elated!
"Pretty quickly, I saw her pupils begin to react to light appropriately as they are supposed to do," said Juli. "She notices more light. It used to be she could see it only a foot away, now she can see it 6-8 feet away. She can see a flashlight and point to it."
All the medical attention has prompted her to make up her own IV kit using a hair clip, a plastic watch band, a couple of chenille pipe cleaners, and a Luna bar wrapper.
"She gives us IVs often because she had so many in China," said Joan.
Lydia admits when doctors began the stem cell treatment, they told her it wouldn't hurt. But it did. So, when her treatment was over, she went to the doctors and nurses with her IV kit and told them it wouldn't hurt when she used it on them.
Lydia has always loved music and connects with singers and personalities. When she was 3 and 4, she was a fan of the group Alabama. At 4 or 5, she fell in love with Toby Keith, whom she has always called "my boy."
By the time she turned 5, she had replaced Keith with Ryan Seacrest. His is the face she'd most like to see.
"I listen to his show on the radio and I like American Idol," she explained.
She is also a dancer and her grandmother says she never saw anyone who could twirl as long as Lydia can.
She loves to ride horses and "go farming" with Joan and Lydia's uncle Chuck.
Lydia writes Braille and reads Braille. She describes herself as independent, trying to open things herself and to get dressed on her own.
Juli is so proud of her daughter, calling her a "very adjusted, very trusting, amazing little girl."
"You have to have a little bit of a dream in order to do this," Juli explained. "We pray for full sight and function, but at the same time, we take it step by step."
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/138669.html
By DONNA HICKMAN
(Published April 20, 2008)
BELGRADE, Mo. — When 6-year-old Lydia Olmsted wakes up at her grandmother's home in Belgrade, she sits up in bed and tells her, "Daylight Granny, time to get up!" It's music to Joan Olmsted's ears.
For the first time, Lydia is seeing light like the sun bursting through the windows at sunrise. She has Septo-Optic Dysplasia. That means her eyes don't have enough nerve fibers for the brain to receive visual cues from the eyes.
But thanks to stem cell treatments in China in January, Lydia can see light.
It started with the lights still on the Christmas trees in the hospital where she was treated. Lydia could see them. And what light she could see did not hurt her eyes as it did before.
"I can see the light under the bathroom door, but I can't see colors," Lydia explained in a visit to the Daily Journal earlier this month. "I'd like to see the color yellow because that's my favorite."
The stem cell treatment is experimental and is not performed in the U.S. Joan said until Lydia's mom, Juli, found out about it, she didn't know there was anything that could help her daughter see. A little girl who was the first to be treated 8 month ago is now seeing colors.
"We are not sure yet what the outcome will be," said Juli. "The process will take at least a year. She is only the seventh child to do this as part of a case study. They don't guarantee anything."
The stem cells are thought to help the body repair itself. As Juli explains it, the optic tissue in Lydia's eyes had become atrophied from lack of use. The stem cells will become Lydia's optic nerve cells.
The company conducting the study is Beike BioTech.
There is a lot of medical follow-up to be done and Lydia expected to need expensive hyperbaric treatments when she returned, but those are on hold for now. Still, funds are needed to pay the additional medical costs. Another trip to China could be needed next year. Lydia has regular cat scans and uses eye drops as doctors check to see if her optic nerve is developing.
The Park Hills Lions Club gave $1,000 to Lydia's Lights, the name of her fundraising effort.
Lydia and her mother live in Columbia, but Lydia spent her spring break week in Belgrade with her grandmother. It's where Juli grew up.
Since the story first ran in the Daily Journal on Jan. 9, the family has been contacted by others who have loved ones with the same eye disorder. Lydia is mystified by all the interest in her.
"One day, we were getting ready to go to Bismarck and somebody called and they were wondering how I was doing," she recalled. Her grandmother explained the caller was someone she knew that Lydia did not.
"But there have been other calls and e-mails from people we don't know," said Joan. "People are so generous and so concerned. Everywhere I go, people say, 'Hello, how's Lydia?'"
For a month, doctors put umbilical stem cells into Lydia's body through an intravenous injection and four injections into her spine. It cost about $18,000. Such experimental treatments done in China have come under fire from some medical researchers in the U.S.
They caution the results have not been proven. Juli said she knew about all the criticism as she arranged for her daughter's treatment. She said she tells others considering their options to carefully weigh the pros and cons. She believes it was right for Lydia. She says she has faith in the process.
After the second treatment, Lydia began to say she saw the lights on the Christmas tree. Juli was elated!
"Pretty quickly, I saw her pupils begin to react to light appropriately as they are supposed to do," said Juli. "She notices more light. It used to be she could see it only a foot away, now she can see it 6-8 feet away. She can see a flashlight and point to it."
All the medical attention has prompted her to make up her own IV kit using a hair clip, a plastic watch band, a couple of chenille pipe cleaners, and a Luna bar wrapper.
"She gives us IVs often because she had so many in China," said Joan.
Lydia admits when doctors began the stem cell treatment, they told her it wouldn't hurt. But it did. So, when her treatment was over, she went to the doctors and nurses with her IV kit and told them it wouldn't hurt when she used it on them.
Lydia has always loved music and connects with singers and personalities. When she was 3 and 4, she was a fan of the group Alabama. At 4 or 5, she fell in love with Toby Keith, whom she has always called "my boy."
By the time she turned 5, she had replaced Keith with Ryan Seacrest. His is the face she'd most like to see.
"I listen to his show on the radio and I like American Idol," she explained.
She is also a dancer and her grandmother says she never saw anyone who could twirl as long as Lydia can.
She loves to ride horses and "go farming" with Joan and Lydia's uncle Chuck.
Lydia writes Braille and reads Braille. She describes herself as independent, trying to open things herself and to get dressed on her own.
Juli is so proud of her daughter, calling her a "very adjusted, very trusting, amazing little girl."
"You have to have a little bit of a dream in order to do this," Juli explained. "We pray for full sight and function, but at the same time, we take it step by step."
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/138669.html
Friday, April 11, 2008
Yaussi kicks it for Macie
Yaussi kicks it for Macie in home openerBY HAP FRY HapFry@coloradoan.com
LOVELAND - Macie Morse is trying to see, and Deric Yaussi is putting his best foot forward to ensure that she does.
The Colorado Ice kicker booted two field goals and added two extra points in the Ice's home-opener Thursday night against the Billings Outlaws.
Yaussi hopes to help raise aproximately $40,000 for Morse, who suffers from optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and is nearly blind.
That money would be used to send Morse to China where she would receive a stem-cell injection that has been successful in treating people with ONH.
Morse and Yaussi filmed a segment, which was shown at halftime, together urging people to donate money and or sponsor him by making a financial pledge for every point he scores this season.
A silent Bud Center crowd then saw a video of what Morse's every day experiences are like.
"I pretty much cried all the way through it," said Rochelle Morse, Macie's mother. "It's just unbelievable that this is all happening. Just the generosity of all the fans, the Ice and Deric Yaussi has been incredible."
LOVELAND - Macie Morse is trying to see, and Deric Yaussi is putting his best foot forward to ensure that she does.
The Colorado Ice kicker booted two field goals and added two extra points in the Ice's home-opener Thursday night against the Billings Outlaws.
Yaussi hopes to help raise aproximately $40,000 for Morse, who suffers from optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and is nearly blind.
That money would be used to send Morse to China where she would receive a stem-cell injection that has been successful in treating people with ONH.
Morse and Yaussi filmed a segment, which was shown at halftime, together urging people to donate money and or sponsor him by making a financial pledge for every point he scores this season.
A silent Bud Center crowd then saw a video of what Morse's every day experiences are like.
"I pretty much cried all the way through it," said Rochelle Morse, Macie's mother. "It's just unbelievable that this is all happening. Just the generosity of all the fans, the Ice and Deric Yaussi has been incredible."
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Kicker points worth more than wins for local teen
Colorado Ice kicker Deric Yaussi, left, has started a fund to benefit Macie Morse, right, who suffers from blindness caused by optic nerve hypoplasia. The fund, known as Kickin it for Macie, accepts pledge amounts for every point Yaussi kicks this season.
Kickin It for Macie
To help Macie Morse out, send donations to Macie's Vision Quest, c/o Warren Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 1319, Wellington, CO, 80549.
What is optic nerve hypoplasia?
"Hypoplasia" means smaller than normal. Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) refers to small or underdevelopment of the nerve which transmits vision signals from the eye to the brain. This is usually associated with permanent vision loss, which may be mild or severe. ONH may affect either one or both eyes.Source: American Association for Pediactric Ophthamology and Strabismus.
Kicker's points worth more than wins for local teenBY SEAN DUFF SeanDuff@coloradoan.com
Every point Colorado Ice kicker Deric Yaussi scores is critical for his football team.
But the field goals and extra points he puts through the uprights are crucial for Macie Morse, a 15-year-old ninth grader who attends Wellington Junior High School.
Morse, an Idaho native whose family moved eight years ago to Wellington, was born with optic nerve hypoplasia.
The medical definition of hypoplasia means smaller than normal. Optic nerve hypoplasia refers to underdevelopment of the nerve which transmits vision signals from the eye to the brain.
In layman's terms, she can't see.
Morse, an articulate, thoughtful teen-ager, described it this way.
"It's the cord that connects from the eye to the brain that sends information from what your eye sees to the brain," Morse said. "That cord didn't fully develop. My left eye didn't develop at all; my right eye has a little bit."
Morse said she can see well enough out of her right eye to walk, and she can read print if it's 3 or 4 inches from her face. That's about the extent of her vision, though.
The impairment has made life difficult for Morse, her mother, Rochelle Morse, said.
"It's not pretty how she is treated at school," Rochelle said. "She gets made fun of a lot; she takes a lot of physical abuse. Kids are mean; they're awful, tripping her and pushing her into lockers and stuff."
It was during these trying times that Randy Yaussi, Deric's father and a longtime Poudre School District educator and coach, was filling in as principal at Wellington Junior High.
"He got to see how Macie was treated," Morse said. "He said he had to go into his office with tears in his eyes."
There is no treatment for OPN in the United States. But while searching the Internet one day, Morse came across a treatment program in China.
"They're doing stem-cell injections in China on kids with ONH that seem to be working," Morse said. "They're actually all different kinds of places - Mexico, Dominican Republic, South Africa. The reason we chose China is they're adding nerve growth as well."
Morse said the cost of the treatment and travel to China is about $30,000. And that's where the Yaussi family came up with a plan to help raise money for Macie Morse.
"I've known Macie for a while," said Deric Yaussi, a former Poudre High student whose mother, Carol, and Rochelle Morse work together at the school. "I wanted to do something to help her get her sight. The best position for me playing for the Ice was to have a fundraiser. I can raise money for every point I make."
So Yaussi started Kickin It for Macie, where people can pledge any amount of money for every point he makes in the United Indoor Football league season or just give an outright donation. The Ice (1-3) plays its home opener tonight against the Billings Outlaws, and Yaussi has scored 35points in the first four games.
"She's a great girl," Yaussi said. "Some of the things she's had to go through, like getting her head pushed into a locker, are things no one should have to go through."
Rochelle Morse said about $2,000 has been raised so far. She's hoping the Kickin It for Macie campaign will bring her family much closer to their goal of $30,000. The family is hoping to go to China by Christmas.
"The more I score, the more I help the team and help Macie," Yaussi said. "It benefits both."
Macie, who describes Yaussi as a "football hunk," says she is very happy at having a chance to see.
"I can't imagine what it would be like," Macie said. "I've dreamt about it forever.
"My first thing I want to see is my mom. Then I want to see as much as possible."
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080410/SPORTS/804100352/1006/SPORTS
Kickin It for Macie
To help Macie Morse out, send donations to Macie's Vision Quest, c/o Warren Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 1319, Wellington, CO, 80549.
What is optic nerve hypoplasia?
"Hypoplasia" means smaller than normal. Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) refers to small or underdevelopment of the nerve which transmits vision signals from the eye to the brain. This is usually associated with permanent vision loss, which may be mild or severe. ONH may affect either one or both eyes.Source: American Association for Pediactric Ophthamology and Strabismus.
Kicker's points worth more than wins for local teenBY SEAN DUFF SeanDuff@coloradoan.com
Every point Colorado Ice kicker Deric Yaussi scores is critical for his football team.
But the field goals and extra points he puts through the uprights are crucial for Macie Morse, a 15-year-old ninth grader who attends Wellington Junior High School.
Morse, an Idaho native whose family moved eight years ago to Wellington, was born with optic nerve hypoplasia.
The medical definition of hypoplasia means smaller than normal. Optic nerve hypoplasia refers to underdevelopment of the nerve which transmits vision signals from the eye to the brain.
In layman's terms, she can't see.
Morse, an articulate, thoughtful teen-ager, described it this way.
"It's the cord that connects from the eye to the brain that sends information from what your eye sees to the brain," Morse said. "That cord didn't fully develop. My left eye didn't develop at all; my right eye has a little bit."
Morse said she can see well enough out of her right eye to walk, and she can read print if it's 3 or 4 inches from her face. That's about the extent of her vision, though.
The impairment has made life difficult for Morse, her mother, Rochelle Morse, said.
"It's not pretty how she is treated at school," Rochelle said. "She gets made fun of a lot; she takes a lot of physical abuse. Kids are mean; they're awful, tripping her and pushing her into lockers and stuff."
It was during these trying times that Randy Yaussi, Deric's father and a longtime Poudre School District educator and coach, was filling in as principal at Wellington Junior High.
"He got to see how Macie was treated," Morse said. "He said he had to go into his office with tears in his eyes."
There is no treatment for OPN in the United States. But while searching the Internet one day, Morse came across a treatment program in China.
"They're doing stem-cell injections in China on kids with ONH that seem to be working," Morse said. "They're actually all different kinds of places - Mexico, Dominican Republic, South Africa. The reason we chose China is they're adding nerve growth as well."
Morse said the cost of the treatment and travel to China is about $30,000. And that's where the Yaussi family came up with a plan to help raise money for Macie Morse.
"I've known Macie for a while," said Deric Yaussi, a former Poudre High student whose mother, Carol, and Rochelle Morse work together at the school. "I wanted to do something to help her get her sight. The best position for me playing for the Ice was to have a fundraiser. I can raise money for every point I make."
So Yaussi started Kickin It for Macie, where people can pledge any amount of money for every point he makes in the United Indoor Football league season or just give an outright donation. The Ice (1-3) plays its home opener tonight against the Billings Outlaws, and Yaussi has scored 35points in the first four games.
"She's a great girl," Yaussi said. "Some of the things she's had to go through, like getting her head pushed into a locker, are things no one should have to go through."
Rochelle Morse said about $2,000 has been raised so far. She's hoping the Kickin It for Macie campaign will bring her family much closer to their goal of $30,000. The family is hoping to go to China by Christmas.
"The more I score, the more I help the team and help Macie," Yaussi said. "It benefits both."
Macie, who describes Yaussi as a "football hunk," says she is very happy at having a chance to see.
"I can't imagine what it would be like," Macie said. "I've dreamt about it forever.
"My first thing I want to see is my mom. Then I want to see as much as possible."
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080410/SPORTS/804100352/1006/SPORTS
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Girl looks to gain sight in China
Associated Press
April 6, 2008
Sedalia, Mo. — Rylea Bartlett can see the freckles on her grandmother’s face and distinguish lip gloss on her mother’s mouth.
The 6-year-old’s progress has raised the hopes of another young girl who has the same optic nerve disorder.
Savannah Watring and her family are making arrangements to travel to China, where they hope an experimental treatment will give the 7-year-old sight.
“I can’t help but get excited,” said RaVana Watring, Savannah’s grandmother.
Savannah was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, the leading cause of blindness in children, according to Cassandra Fink, supervisor of clinical trials at the Vision Center in Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
It happens when the optic nerve fails to develop in utero, but doctors aren’t sure what causes the condition. Swedish researchers found it occurs in 10.9 children per 10,000.
ONH can cause hormonal problems and developmental delays, but loss of sight is the only condition Savannah has experienced.
Savannah’s family noticed early on that she rolled her eyes around a lot and that noisy places bothered her. At about 8 weeks, they noticed her eyes weren’t tracking objects like normal babies do. A Columbia ophthalmologist confirmed what they had feared: Savannah was blind.
“I kept thinking it was something that could be fixed,” RaVana Watring said. “And when they said it couldn’t, and never, I fell apart.”
The family’s hope brightened in September, when they read a story in The Sedalia Democrat about a Missouri girl with ONH who began seeing after stem cell treatments in China. They contacted Dawn Bartlett, Rylea’s mother, and learned her vision has been steadily improving since the treatment.
Savannah’s family has started the process of traveling to China, where they’re expected to spend about 30 days as she receives four to five stem cell treatments. The stem cells, taken from umbilical cords, are injected into the spine and are expected to generate growth of the optic nerves.
Fink is skeptical, saying she’s only heard of three or four children who have had the procedure and that the risk of doing it in China is unknown because they don’t know the research behind it.
It hasn’t stopped Savannah and her family.
The procedure is expected to cost about $50,000 and the family has started a fundraising campaign, already gathering around $20,000 through a dance, donation cans and sales of clothing and jewelry. A benefit dinner, raffle and auction are planned Dec. 9 in Tipton.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/apr/06/girl_looks_gain_sight_china/
April 6, 2008
Sedalia, Mo. — Rylea Bartlett can see the freckles on her grandmother’s face and distinguish lip gloss on her mother’s mouth.
The 6-year-old’s progress has raised the hopes of another young girl who has the same optic nerve disorder.
Savannah Watring and her family are making arrangements to travel to China, where they hope an experimental treatment will give the 7-year-old sight.
“I can’t help but get excited,” said RaVana Watring, Savannah’s grandmother.
Savannah was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, the leading cause of blindness in children, according to Cassandra Fink, supervisor of clinical trials at the Vision Center in Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
It happens when the optic nerve fails to develop in utero, but doctors aren’t sure what causes the condition. Swedish researchers found it occurs in 10.9 children per 10,000.
ONH can cause hormonal problems and developmental delays, but loss of sight is the only condition Savannah has experienced.
Savannah’s family noticed early on that she rolled her eyes around a lot and that noisy places bothered her. At about 8 weeks, they noticed her eyes weren’t tracking objects like normal babies do. A Columbia ophthalmologist confirmed what they had feared: Savannah was blind.
“I kept thinking it was something that could be fixed,” RaVana Watring said. “And when they said it couldn’t, and never, I fell apart.”
The family’s hope brightened in September, when they read a story in The Sedalia Democrat about a Missouri girl with ONH who began seeing after stem cell treatments in China. They contacted Dawn Bartlett, Rylea’s mother, and learned her vision has been steadily improving since the treatment.
Savannah’s family has started the process of traveling to China, where they’re expected to spend about 30 days as she receives four to five stem cell treatments. The stem cells, taken from umbilical cords, are injected into the spine and are expected to generate growth of the optic nerves.
Fink is skeptical, saying she’s only heard of three or four children who have had the procedure and that the risk of doing it in China is unknown because they don’t know the research behind it.
It hasn’t stopped Savannah and her family.
The procedure is expected to cost about $50,000 and the family has started a fundraising campaign, already gathering around $20,000 through a dance, donation cans and sales of clothing and jewelry. A benefit dinner, raffle and auction are planned Dec. 9 in Tipton.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/apr/06/girl_looks_gain_sight_china/
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