Media Contact: Sandra Van
1-800-396-1002
[email protected]
LOS ANGELES (June 8, 1999) -- Shortly after the beginning of this year, Anita Reddy, 17, developed numbness and weakness in her legs. CT and MRI scans determined that the symptoms were being caused by a tumor in her brain.
"This problem came out of the blue," said her father, Suresh Reddy. Although the family lives in Hyderabad, the fifth-largest city in India, neurologists urged them to seek medical help in a location that could offer the advanced techniques and technologies necessary to treat a tumor situated in a critical area of the brain.
"We were left with nothing but to pray to bring her into the United States," said Suresh, an engineer of moderate income. "My means were not sufficient to bring my girl here because of the heavy expenses that would be involved."
A cousin of Suresh's who lives in North Carolina launched an Internet search and discovered a national organization called Healing the Children. The Valencia, Calif., chapter contacted Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The Reddy family had also made phone calls and scanned the Internet to find the names of the most respected experts in the field. Those queries turned up the name of Keith L. Black, the neurosurgeon who directs the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai.
"Fortunately for us, Healing the Children was aiming at getting this done in California," said Suresh. "Fortunately for us also, Dr. Keith Black himself is here. It was such a nice thing to happen for us, for this particular problem: the right place and the right man."
"Anita has a very complex brain tumor that I think was beyond what the neurosurgeons in India felt comfortable dealing with," said Dr. Black, who directs the neurosurgical institute, the medical center's division of neurosurgery and the comprehensive brain tumor program. "We looked at the films and felt that the best thing to do as a first step was to establish a firm diagnosis."
Dr. Black performed a surgical biopsy on Thursday, May 13. He and the other physicians at the Institute have offered their time and services without cost. The medical center is accepting a fee that is a fraction of the normal charge for surgical and ancillary services.
"Fortunately, it looks now like this might be a tumor that does not require intervention right away," said Dr. Black. "We probably have a few years to wait before it begins to grow and we have to go back in with a larger operation. But at least we were able to establish a diagnosis at this point and devise a plan of action."
The tumor has been diagnosed as an astrocytoma, a tumor that begins in brain cells called astrocytes. Because its cells look very similar to normal astrocytes under a microscope, the tumor is characterized as a Grade 1 astrocytoma. Low-grade astrocytomas usually are not highly aggressive.
"Some of these tumors can begin to grow quickly, perhaps in six months or a year, while some may stay dormant for 10 or 15 years," Dr. Black said. Therefore, the next step in Anita's follow-up care will be to watch for changes by repeating MRI scans on a regular basis.
Healing the Children was founded in 1979 by Cris Embleton, who now serves as director of the Valencia chapter. Cris and her husband, Gary, had previously adopted a premature baby girl who was found abandoned in her native Asian country. Little Lori Jo Embleton suffered from malnutrition and numerous infections that took her life three weeks before her first birthday. The infections and their complications could have been prevented if medication valued at less than $5 had been available in Lori Jo's native country.
The Embletons became advocates for the adoption of children with special needs, helping to coordinate immigration, donations, and medical care for children who need life-saving or life-enhancing treatment. The organization they founded now sends teams to foreign countries to establish medical programs, attempts to bring children with immediate needs to the United States for care, and also assists children within this country who need special help.
"Anita is such a neat kid. She is a very beautiful, very bright girl. I know she's going through a difficult time right now because she's having to come to terms with the limitations imposed by the tumor," said Cris Embleton. "In India, she would have had to undergo radiation, which would not have done her any good. In fact, it would have been costly and probably would have caused some degree of harm. They just didn't have the expertise that Dr. Black and the hospital give to us."
According to Embleton, Cedars-Sinai has now helped 24 Healing the Children patients, most of whom have needed major operations. "The medical center has given and given and given, and literally helped children from all over the world. You have no idea what the impact of that has been, not only on the children and their families but also on their countries. These kids go back to their homelands and carry the good will of America."
Dr. Black and his team encourage other medical institutions to offer their services to worthy organizations. "Obviously, we cannot always help everyone," he said. "But I think that in special circumstances when we can reach out and make a significant impact in the life of a child who would not have any hope of care, it provides us an opportunity to give a gift to people who need it. In a situation like this, when we can help someone with a very complex tumor -- and in particular when we can partner with a wonderful organization such as Healing the Children -- it's the right thing to do."
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