Team Profile

OUR HOPE & VISION

We are a group of head and neck cancer survivors dedicated to expanding the Foundation’s community programs. Building the Medical Community Center is critical to this goal.

Learn about our team and why we’re involved in this work below.

Mary Davenport

OHNF is a nonprofit foundation that I feel very passionate about. In 2008 I was diagnosed with parotid cancer.  I had just gotten married and was finishing up my last year in graduate school.  I had a great year ahead of me …. or so I thought. Little did I know that my life would be turned upside down.  

At that point, I had a small pea-shaped tumor underneath my left ear, beside my jaw, for several years. However I had left it alone, as doctors told me that it was nothing to be concerned about.  But as I was enjoying newlywed life, something inside of me told me that it was time to get it checked out again, by a specialist who knew what he was talking about.  

Enter in Dr. Osborne.  I had conducted an online search for the best head and neck specialist, and when I learned about him, something in my gut said, “he is the one.”  He genuinely cared about me and my husband during that time. I was able to put my trust in him 100%.

Dr. Osborne performed my 6-hour surgery in May 2008. The surgery went smoothly and I had a wonderfully skilled team who put me at ease.  My recovery during the next ten days went well, but I was anxiously awaiting the biopsy results.  

When Dr. Osborne told me that the tumor was cancerous, my husband and I were shaken. Thankfully, the tumor had remained contained and had not spread to any lymph nodes, so no chemotherapy was needed.  However, we did make the decision to do radiotherapy as a precaution, as I was only 31 years old at the time.  

Dr. Osborne walked me through the next steps, and after I finished radiation, he continued to monitor me yearly.  I am thrilled to say that I have remained cancer-free since then. And in 2017, I gave birth to my healthy beautiful daughter, who is now three years old.

People come into your life for a reason, and I’m so thankful that I found Dr. Osborne. I’m sure he saved my life. I think about how fortunate I was to have the health insurance and funds to pay for both my surgery and follow-up treatment.

But what about the patients in need who can’t afford this surgery? What will happen to them? This is why I want to return the favor and have chosen to partner with the Foundation.

Being a part of a team whose mission is to improve the quality of people’s lives, let alone save lives, aligns with my value system. I believe that Dr. Osborne and the Foundation are going to create so much goodness and hope in the community.

Rhiarose Dec

In July 2017 my husband and I found out on the same week that we were pregnant with our second child and we received the inconclusive results of the fine needle biopsy of the tumor behind my right ear.  Needless to say the joy of pregnancy now took a back seat. I thought it would be simple to find an ENT specialist since I was living in San Francisco at the time, but I think so many factors made it more difficult to find the right one. One doctor advised aborting my child to proceed with the appropriate work up.  Another told me to wait the next 8 months until after the child is born to do anything. I also consulted with a highly recommended doctor locally at Stanford and even considered traveling to the east coast. It was in my expanded search that I found Dr. Osborne and his team in Los Angeles. 

At the end of the Skype consultation with Dr. Osborne my husband and I felt a mutual affirmation that he was the one for me. He offered a solution with the soonest surgical treatment plan and the safest for our unborn fetus. We consented for the OHNI Foundation to document our experience. If you’d like to learn more, click here. 

I was one of his patients that flew to LAX from out of town, stayed at a hotel before surgery, and drove to the hospital for the preop/ postop visits and surgery. Then after the surgery I recovered at a local hotel until I was cleared to leave the area on postop day number 3. 

When Dr. Osborne shared with me his vision for the Medical Community Center, and asked if I wanted to join in his fundraising efforts for the capital campaign, I said yes without hesitation because I saw the value of a one stop shop from a patient‘s perspective, as well as, a medical personnel. As a patient I wouldn’t have had to do the extra work in coordinating logistics of lodging and rental car and navigating through LA traffic.  

My professional background before being a full time mom is a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery. I managed patients’ care throughout the process of their surgery. Although my experience is a different speciality, I believe this will improve patient compliance with pre and postop requirements allowing seamless patient care throughout the entire process.  It’s a brilliant idea that will definitely fill a need.  I am honored to be part of a team that will help make this a reality and I appreciate your contribution. 
Aloha, Rhiarose Dec

Nathalie Gast

When I was in my twenties living in Martinique, I had a Parotid gland tumor on the side of my face. It never bothered me, but as time went on, it had become large enough that it was cause for concern. I had a successful surgery and recovered very quickly. I ended up with what the surgeons described as a “beautiful” scar. To me, this was the end of that chapter. I moved to New York, got married, and had my beautiful daughter.

In my early thirties, I noticed a couple of lumps on the same side of my face where the Parotid gland tumor was removed. After a few years, I decided to have them checked. To my utmost surprise, I was informed that I had seven tumors slowly growing. The surgeons I spoke with assured me that they had handled similar cases in the past with no major issues. Sensing their confidence, I decided to proceed with surgery.

The seven-hour surgery went well, but the road to recovery was long and challenging. I went through radiation therapy, lost my sense of taste, and dealt with facial burns that I was never warned about. I was in constant pain during that time but was told that it was a very normal part of the recovery process. “Give it a year”, the surgeons said. More than two years later, the pain was so bad that I would cringe when anyone approached my face, including when my daughter would lean in for a hug or kiss. In addition to the pain, I noticed that my face was deformed. I felt like half of my face was missing.

The doctors told me that I could have a reconstructive surgery to address the appearance, but they never acknowledged the reality of the constant pain I was experiencing. I had multiple surgeries after that to address the pain and appearance issues, but all to no avail.

Despite the disappointment, I never stopped looking for solutions. When I met Dr. Osborne and Dr. Hamilton in New York, I quickly realized that they understood exactly what I was dealing with and they explained why it had happened and how they could address it. I was convinced and decided to fly to Los Angeles to do the surgery, which was very successful. The surgery changed my life. Not only has the pain gone away, but I also saw great improvement in my appearance of the side my face.

Lucky for me, I had the resources to fly to LA for a surgery. So many others do not have that luxury. Dealing with cancer and constant pain coupled with a lack of health insurance or financial resources, they often do not get the care they need. When I was approached by Dr. Osborne to join this wonderful team and help make this project a reality, I had no hesitation. I strongly believe this is the right thing to do. Dr. Osborne and his team had such a big impact on my life, and I can only hope to be able to help the foundation reach even more of those in need.