Valley girl fighting to keep vision

A rare genetic disorder left 4-year-old Trisha Tompkins with only limited vision in her right eye and no vision in the left, but it hasn't slowed her down.

This pint-sized Indian Hills resident is a dynamo. She stops to talk a little, then she's off. She doesn't like doctors much. When she grows up, she wants to drive race cars. Or trains.

"I want to go faster than my dad. I can beat all the boys," she says with a confident smile. "My number is 7-11."

"That's her Dad's dream, too," said Renee Harmon, Trisha's mom.

She explains that it's in the blood. Both Grandpa and Dad are race car drivers. Trisha also wants to play T-ball and she's going to race go-carts with the Northern Nevada Kart Club this year.

One of 10 children, Trisha was diagnosed with the disease, known as renal retinal coloboma syndrome, at birth. Sometimes the kidneys are involved, but Trisha thus far has not displayed any of those symptoms. If her eyes are not treated, complications including hearing loss, heart murmurs and neurological disorders can occur.

The surgery has some risk. About 10 percent of the patients become blind, but doctors think Trisha's vision, which is already limited, is failing. Without the surgery Trisha could be blind by the time she turns 15, Harmon said.

"The younger the patient, the easier it is to do this procedure without incurring an infection," she said.

Harmon said the wait for this surgery, which couldn't be performed until Trisha was about 5 years old, has been difficult for she and husband Mark.

"This is our lifetime chance. We've waited for years for this," Harmon said. "But right now, her father is having a hard time."

The surgery, which will replace Trisha's defective retina, is expected to take about 12 hours. The family will travel to the University of California in Davis weekly starting in early February for the steroid shots needed to strengthen Trisha's muscles and nerves.

After the surgery, which is scheduled for late March, she must stay completely quiet with her head back for one week, to allow the implanted tissue to heal properly.

The process will include several hospital stays before Tricia is 7, according to a press release.

Nothing can be done to restore vision in the left eye at this point, but doctors gave her parents two options. She can wear a contact lens, or have the eye removed and wear a prosthetic. Trisha will eventually wear a contact lens for cosmetic purposes, Harmon said.

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.

BREAKOUT

To help with expenses, friends of the family are coming together for fundraising and they're looking for ideas. Anyone wishing to help can contact them via email at friends_of_trisha@yahoo.com. For regular updates on Trisha's progress, people can also join the Yahoo! group, Friends of Trisha, at www.yahoo.com.