Welcome to the India Chapter of the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, VBF India! NEW

Every year in the United States, 40,000 children are born with a vascular birthmark, 85% of which are in the head and neck area. Statistics show us that the incidence is the same in other countries. These birthmarks include:

• Hemangiomas, the most common type of vascular birthmark
• Port Wine Stains
• Venous Malformations

No one knows why vascular birthmarks occur, but treatment guidelines are changing.

Volunteer for VBF India

VBF India needs a medical director for answering medical questions from
patients.

Medical Directors should know how to diagnose and treat vascular
birthmarks or at least refer the patient to a physician who can.

Medical Directors will be listed on the website with a photo and bio and we
will need an email address for sending all emails.

VBF India President Kalpana

Welcome to VBF India. I am Kalpana, born and brought up in Delhi, India. I was a patient of a vascular malformation - Hemangioma and for a long time of my life, I had to live with that deformity. It affected the whole right side of my face including my eye, ear, nose, and neck. Being a girl and growing up in India, it became a sort of stigma for me. I didn't know that I deserved a better life. But, at the age of 25, I found the treatment and went through a very difficult but very memorable and beautiful phase of my life, undergoing several laser and reconstructive surgeries in the USA by some very highly specialized doctors like Dr. Waner, Dr. Shewmake, and Dr. David Wilkes. It brought a total turnaround in my life and in the lives of people related to me. God did a miracle in my life and now I have asked Him to use me for his purpose.

This website and my life is dedicated to all those people who helped me and supported me during that phase and to all those people whose lives will be changed for better through VBF India under leadership of Linda Shanon, executive director, from who I have learned lessons in faith, courage and hope.

Yours Sincerely,

Kalpana

President

VBF India

Read Kalpana's story here

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VBF India Patient Representative

Name: Upasana Roy
Location: Delhi, India
Email: upasana1985@gmail.com
Telephone: 09999886481

You can contact Upasana for assistance in your native language and have your question or concern forwarded to the appropriate contact.

I believe we who are born with hardships have been chosen for greater deeds in life. If God has given us complexities, He has also given us the power to rise out of complexities. It is with this belief that I start my days, and this is the belief that has been steering me through most of my adult life. My name is Upasana, and I was born in the city of Kolkata. I am a patient of hemangioma for the last 24 years, and through different surgeries and medications, I am now on the verge of living a normal life. I work in a multinational in New Delhi and have been living in this fast-paced city for the last three years.

The day I came across the VBF foundation, I realized the great potential the organization holds to extend a helping hand to thousands like me. And without a doubt, I want to be a part of this. My mission is to be a guiding point, a helping hand and a friend to those who seek the right medication. I will try my level best to guide the parents, so that they can find the perfect treatment for their children, I will strive to be a liaison between those seeking treatment and our pool of Doctors to maintain a steady communication and clear direction.

I would like to extend courage and hope to everyone and remind us all that -- we will rise above all hardships.

God Bless,

Upasana

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Medical News: Hemangiomas Erased With Propranolol

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The Vascular Birthmark Foundation's
2010 “Mark of Beauty” Gala
And the 2010 Vascular Birthmarks Conference with Dr. Roy Geronemus and
The Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York

 

A Huge Success

Friday evening October 8, 2010 was a beautiful night in NYC for our 2nd Mark of Beauty Gala. The weather was perfect, the music (songs by our own soloists and the cast from Wanda’ s World) was amazing, there were over 220 in attendance and we were able to sponsor a number of families for our next conference due to the net proceeds from the event. Everyone commented that it was an incredible experience. We were also thrilled to announce that we have reached over 50,000 families who have been networked into treatment since 1994.

VBF was proud to announce that Dr. Gregory Levitin was honored as our 2010 Physician of the Year at our gala. In addition, our 2010 Service Awards were presented to: Saige Cavayero (VBF Student Rep), Dr. Geronemus’ s staff at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of NY, Donna and Evan Ducker for their Buddy Booby Read-a-Thon, and Dr. Geronemus was presented with the Buddy Booby Award for his outreach to children and adults with birthmarks all over the world.

Read More and Check Out the Photos

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VBF Launches Day of Awareness - We need 25 families

Thank you for your support of VBF and the VBF International Day of Awareness.

Many of you have participated every year, since its inception on May 15, 2004. Families and individuals have hosted annual bake sales; garage sales; sold stickers, bears and bracelets; celebrated a birthday by hosting a party for VBF; were featured in newspaper and magazine articles and local television news programs – the list goes on…

There is really no proper way to thank each and every one of you for support, and for raising awareness of vascular birthmarks and the associated syndromes and conditions. VBF has one amazing support network.

As you know, the downturn in the US economy has had an impact on all aspects of life, including charitable giving. Donations to VBF are down 40 percent, while the free services VBF provides to patients and families have continued to increase. For this reason, your continued support of Day of Awareness is more vital than ever.

If you haven’t participated in VBF Day of Awareness, please join the VBF family of tradition and giving by hosting an event in your community: http://www.birthmark.org/awareness

Children with birthmarks have met this challenge by becoming active participants in raising awareness. Saige Cavayero, now in college, serves on the VBF Board and designed and sold bracelets for Day of Awareness. Saige also designed a poster to highlight the 2010 awareness campaign.

Elizabeth Peters sold stickers for a “Wall of Fame”, Gabriella Gomillion donated her own toys to sell and raise funds, Laura and Heather Toulson hosted a lemonade stand, Evan Ducker wrote a book that launched the “Buddy Booby’s Birthmark International Read-Along”, and Owen Dreger hosted a read-along at his school: complete with a play performed by a class at his grandmother’s school.

VBF President and Founder, Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, along with VBF Executive Assistant Basia Joyce, VBF Office Manager Lauren Palmateer and VBF Board member Lianne Chase, are organizing the second annual VBF 5K Run/Walk in New York. VBF Board members Danielle Vlahos and Rose Shea will host a walk/run in Boston. VBF Board member and wife of VBF Expert Dr. Stuart Nelson, Peggy Nelson, is hosting a wine tasting event in California along with Peter Zellner and Lauri Firstenberg.

Annual awareness participants include: VBF Board members Brian and Natalie Bolinger, hosts of the Texas Hold ‘Em and Auction; Jan and Andrew Dreger (Owen’s parents) host Campbell’s Boat House for VBF at their family restaurant; Robin Houwman sells pendants to raise funds for VBF and other birthmark organizations.
VBF would also like to acknowledge the support of members like Jill and Paul Brown whose daughter Aslynn underwent surgery for a massive hemangioma, and VBF Honorary Chairs Frank and Barbara Catalanotto whose daughter Morgan had a hemangioma. Like so many parents of children with birthmarks, their efforts on behalf of VBF are outstanding.

It’s never too early to plan your event! Visit the VBF Day of Awareness website today to register your event, or for ideas on how you can help. Here are some helpful links to get you started:

· VBF Day of Awareness website: http://www.birthmark.org/awareness
· Register your event and Shop VBF to order materials, all in one easy step: https://birthmark.org/secure/shopdoa.php
· “Tell Your Story”. Share your experiences with other families: http://www.birthmark.org/awareness/story.php

Remember, May 15 is Day of Awareness, but events can be held any time during the year.

THANK YOU VBF FAMILIES AND FRIENDS!

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Bags for Birthmarks

You can help to “Sponsor A Family” so that they can attend the VBF annual medical conference and receive a treatment plan. Donate a new or gently used high-end, vintage, or designer handbag or bid on one at www.birthmark.org. Both ways help! Tell your family, friends, or colleagues that they can help too by donating or bidding on a handbag

To donate a bag, click here, fill out the form, and mail it to us.

To get a bag, click here.

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Port Wine Stains: Clearance, Cure, and Recurrence
To Treat or Not to Treat

The following rebuttal by Dr. Stuart Nelson and Dr. Roy Geronemus was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in response to an article about the recurrence of Port Wine Stains (PWS) after pulsed dye laser treatment. At this year’s conference in Irvine, several physicians spoke about the pathology, progression and treatment of PWS. To summarize what was presented, after a PWS is treated using the pulsed dye laser, the vessels that are targeted by the laser will not necessarily come back, but rather new, deeper vessels will work their way up to the top of the skin thus making “some” stain appear. It is important to understand this because many people believe that PWS will always come back and, therefore, they should not have laser treatment. This is not true. While the laser does not “cure” the PWS, it offers the most hope for clearance, for keeping the skin from thickening and cobbling and for maintaining the best aesthetic outcome for the patient (comment by Linda Rozell-Shannon, President and Founder of the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, 11/8/07).

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Comments from Dr. Stuart Nelson and Dr. Roy Geronemus:

"We reviewed “Redarkening of Port-Wine Stains 10 Years after Pulsed-Dye-Laser Treatment” by Huikeshoven et al (NEJM 2007;356:1235-1240) with great interest and would offer our comments.

Read more here

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RECRUITING SUBJECTS FOR A RESEARCH STUDY ON FACIAL BIRTHMARKS

The Effect of Facial Hemangiomas on Psycho-Social Development

If you are 14 years old or over and would be willing to answer three short questionnaires, please volunteer for this research study.

This study is investigating the psycho-social impact of growing up with an hemangioma on the face.

You must meet the following criteria to be in the study:

• Your birthmark must have been diagnosed as an hemangioma (either deep, superficial or mixed), NOT a Port-Wine Stain or other type of malformation.
• You did not receive any treatment prior to age 14 to remove, lighten or reduce the Hemangioma.
• It must have covered at least 10% of the face (size of an egg) and been visible to other people.
• You must have attended a public or private school. (not home schooled)
• You must be able to fill out the questionnaire without help from another person.

All participants must sign a consent form, and if you are under 18 years of age a parent or legal guardian must sign and approve your participation in the study.

All information is strictly confidential. Your answers will be sent to the scoring coordinator anonamously (without your identity disclosed).

Elissa Rifkin, M.Ed.
Principal Investigator
studyvb@aol.com