In August of 2009, Yannie Ye, a then junior desk clerk for O'BON International began to notice an usual pattern of problems seemingly related to her health. She was constantly tired despite well-rested nights and she had begun to suffer from headaches at an alarming frequency. Convinced this was not a problem to be taking lightly, she consulted with her doctors. After a series of physical examinations, it was determined that Yannie, now 24, was suffering from two tumors lodged in the back of her brain. In the following month, she was diagnosed with hereditary von Hippel-Lindau disease, a disorder characterized by the abnormal growth of tumors in various parts of the body. Left untreated, VHL causes brain damage and ultimately death.