By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-03 23:01:46 | Updated at 2025-01-05 20:33:01
1 day ago
An Arkansas family of five was thrust into a nightmare over the holidays when they learned their one-year-old daughter had a rare eye cancer.
The family was preparing for the Christmas holiday on December 18 when they noticed baby Lily’s left eye was swollen. Concerned, they rushed her to the hospital.
Doctors performed a CT scan after noting something was in her eye. They learned it was a rare cancer of the retina called retinoblastoma.
Josh Morss, Lily’s father, said: ‘I broke down. I cried. She cried.
‘We were like, “Our little girl was going through something unimaginable.”’
That same day, Lily was transferred to St Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Once there, oncologists determined the best course of action was to remove her left eye.
Meanwhile, they would take samples of bone marrow and spinal fluid to identify whether the cancer had spread to other parts of her body.
Surgeons found when removing the left eye that Lily had two tumors in her right eye as well, requiring six rounds of chemotherapy to try and shrink them. According to her mother, Casie, ‘Her doctor is 80 percent confident that he will be able to save her right eye.’
Lily's father Josh [shown] said the family noticed that her left eye appeared red and swollen on December 18. Doctors found out that she had cancer on her retina, as well as tumors on her right eye
Doctors had to remove Lily's left eye. In about eight weeks, she will be fitted for a prosthetic eye while going through chemo
On Christmas Eve, Mr Morss revealed on Facebook cancer in Lily’s eyes had not spread elsewhere, ‘However, we will be back and forth to Memphis for the next month for treatment and appointments,' he added.
The family has split their time between their home in Paragould, Arkansas, and Memphis, an arrangement that has taken a significant financial toll.
Mr Morss said: ‘I haven’t been to work since Dec. 16, and I’m the only one that works.’
Lily just ended her first round of chemo and has five more to go.
Her parents said she remains in good spirits, posting photos of their little girl giggling in the hospital or smiling with her head on her dad’s shoulder.
Mr Morss said: ‘She’s showing us the courage that we need to have.’
Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer of the retina - the innermost layer of the eye located toward the back of the eye. It is responsible for receiving light and images.
About 300 children are diagnosed with the cancer in the US per year, according to Texas Children's Hospital, accounting for about three percent of childhood cancers. It typically occurs in children three years old or younger and is very rare in kids older than six.
Lily, 1, is pictured after her first day of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors on her right eye. Doctors believe there is a high likelihood that they'll be able to save it
Lily, pictured with her mother Casie, has a long road ahead of her, including five more chemo treatments over four months
The cancer has a high survival rate, however, at 96 percent after five years and nine out of 10 kids can be cured. Ninety percent of pediatric patients will have normal vision in at least one eye after treatment.
Doctors may suspect retinoblastoma if a child develops white discoloration in their eye, has eye swelling, redness around the eye or loss of vision.
Treatment includes chemotherapy, laser therapy or cryotherapy to try and destroy the tumor, but in severe cases, removal of the eye may be necessary.
Lily still has around 20 more weeks of going back and forth from Arkansas to St Jude for chemo treatments with the goal of shrinking the cancer enough to restore her vision in her right eye to 20/20.
And in about eight weeks, she will be fitted for a prosthetic eye where her left eye was removed.
