Welcome to Maggie's Page

Created to keep our friends and family updated about our beautiful Princess Meghan  

Please take the time to read Maggie's story,
and thanks to all for your continued prayers, love and support.

Meghan Elizabeth Russo (Maggie) came into the world on January 10, 2008, a happy and healthy baby girl born to proud parents Mike and Mary Beth, a NYC firefighter and a teacher turned stay at home mom.  Over the next 18 months, she grew in leaps and bounds, constantly trying to keep up with her big brother Michael, 13 months her senior. She was the picture of health, a bundle of energy and Mommy and Daddy's beautiful Princess.

At 19 months, during a family vacation in the Poconos, the camera picked up something that her doctor and family did not.  

Over the next 8 weeks, a tumor would continue to grow undetected in Meghan's left eye, obstructing vision until it eventually severed her retina completely, causing blindness in the left eye.

In late October, Meghan's parents noticed that her left eye was reflecting strangely in the light.  During a trip to the pediatrician's office, Mike and Mary Beth asked the doctor to examine her eye.  Moments later, her doctor was setting up an emergency trip to the ophthalmologist's office.  Later that evening, Meghan was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer.

Six days later, Meghan and her parents went to see Dr. David Abramson at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. After an examination under anesthesia, Dr. Abramson confirmed that she had retinoblastoma.  He said that the tumor was covering over 60% of her eye, that the retina was severed and she had no vision, and that her safest option was an enucleation (removal of the eye).  Dr. Abramson did offer an alternative treatment called chemo-reduction, but he felt that it was not in Meghan's best interest.  With the knowledge that Meghan would never regain sight in her left eye, and the fear that the cancer could spread toward her other eye, her nervous system or her brain, Meghan's parents agreed to the surgery.

On Monday, November 9, 2009, Meghan had an enucleation of the left eye.  She was home that night. By the next morning, if it weren't for the tell-tale bandage, you would not know that she was sick.  Meghan is still the same bubbly, vivacious little girl she was before her diagnosis.  She sings songs, tells jokes, plays with her brother, and brings a smile to the faces of all who know her.

The pathology results say that the surgery caught the cancer; it did not spread.  However, Meghan will need to be closely checked for the next two years, as this form of cancer is aggressive and does have the tendency to resurface.

Meghan will soon be fitted for a prosthetic eye.  The ocularist explained that she will need a new one each year a she grows.  Eventually, Maggie's parents would like to look into a surgery that would give her a more permanent and more lifelike implant.

Maggie is a strong little girl who continues to fight. While she has been lucky so far, she still has a long road ahead.  Maggie would also like to help other children.  If you have young children, please take the time to look at your pictures.  If BOTH eyes do not have red eye, consult with your doctor.  Take your baby to the ophthomolgist. Retinoblastoma is aggressive, but very treatable if caught early.

To read more about Maggie and her family, please go to:
www.sphere.com/2009/11/18/the-mysterious-case-of-a-cancer-hidden-in-plain-sight/

To learn more about retinoblastoma, please go to:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/retinoblastoma/DS00786

If you would like to donate to Maggie's Fund, please make checks payable to Meghan Russo.

        Mail to:    
Jennifer Wolff, Esq. (custodian for Maggie's fund)
240 E. 86th Street
Apt 16A
New York, NY 10028

Please note that donations to Maggie's Fund are NOT tax deductible.