Thank you for creating a place on the WWW about retinoblastoma.  I found your page informative and hopeful.  I’d like to contribute to the hope.

My name is Jennifer, I am 29 years old, and was diagnosed with unilateral retinoblastoma 25 years ago.  Like many parents noted in their letters, my mother noticed something strange about my right eye.

I have been very fortunate, so far, in that I have had no reoccurrences since the time of my surgery.  I was treated by Dr. Ellsworth (and now Dr. Abramson) in New York City.

My childhood was very normal, which I credit to my parents treating me “just like everyone else.”  I know they feel some guilt over my disease, but I’m glad they were able to be strong and supportive during my formative years.

While in school I did not participate in gym, to avoid possibility of injury during contact sports and/or activities which used small objects.  Instead, I was an avid swimmer and often ran with my father early in the morning.

As a child I remember asking to sit closer to the board (even though I didn’t wear glasses), and preferred to sit across from a partner during group work as opposed to having them on my blind side.

At college (Vassar College), due to the quantity of reading required by my studies, I began suffering from eye-strain.  I learned to be more careful about the length of time I spent reading and to read under optimal lighting conditions.  I used this strategy in graduate school (Lehigh University) and had no problems.

The reason I share this information with you is because I am working on compiling a booklet with information for parents and teachers to help them help their children who have limited vision, most specifically vision from only one eye.  As a teacher I have never been presented with any “formal” information and have often had colleagues ask me for suggestions for their students.

If anyone has any suggestions or would like to help with this project, please contact me at think@pcrealm.net.

Thanks again for your Web page.

Sincerely, Jennifer Harriton