It's not the hand you are dealt, but how you play your cards.
Retinoblastoma
There are approximately 300 cases of retinoblastoma in the United States every year.
Cross Section of Nick's Eye
In early January 1997, when Nick was 2 1/2 years old, he had returned from visiting his Grandma's house and Grandma remarked that his left eye looked a little 'funny'. We took Nick out of the car and stood him on the pebbled sidewalk in front of the house. Tammy covered his left eye and held out a small stone and Nick reached out for it. When she covered his right eye, he was not able to reach for the stone. Nick was blind in his left eye.
On January 8, 1997 Nick was diagnosed with a malignant cancerous tumor called Retinoblastoma - RB. This type of tumor originates in the retina, the layer of the eye, which enables the eye to see. This type of RB is considered unilateral because it affects only one eye and it is sporadic because Nick had no genetic history of this type of cancer in our family.
Since the tumor was very close to Nick’s optic nerve, which is connected to the brain, it was very important to remove the tumor as quickly as possible. On January 13th Nick had his left eye removed. The picture on the left shows a cross section of Nick’s eye and the tumor that was growing inside of it.
Interesting Fact: the
number 13. Nick’s eye was removed on January 13th. While it is not
exactly understood why retinoblastoma occurs, it is known that this
cancer is caused by an abnormality on chromosome 13, in which a piece
of the chromosome is non functional or missing. Chromosome 13 is
responsible for controlling retinal cell division. In children with
retinoblastoma retinal cell division continues unchecked, causing
retinal tumors. Nick's last chemotherapy treatment for his second cancer ended January 13.
In the picture above it is hard to tell which eye is real. Nick's prosthetic eye was hand made and hand painted by William Danz in San Francisco. Mr. Danz is a board certified ocularist and has made about 4 different artificial eyes for Nick.
When Nick’s eye was removed, an orbital implant was used to replace the area in the orbit (bony cavity) that was occupied by the eye. The small, spherical implant is not visible but maintains the natural structure of the orbit and provides support for the artificial eye. The orbital implant is made of a material called hydroxyapatite, a man made substance where the mineral in coral is transformed to match human bone. The tissues of Nick's body accepted and have grown into the naturally derived implant and it essentially has become a living part of his body.
