From the moment Daevaney was born I was obsessed with her so I would take pictures of her daily, ok let’s be honest it was multiple times a day. Roughly around 3 months old I noticed her left eye would glow in pictures. Working for an Ophthalmologist I knew this could potentially mean an eye disorder. I scheduled her an appointment at the facility I work for and they referred me to a pediatric eye specialist. During the appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist she was diagnosed with Macular Coloboma and was instructed to follow up yearly. Fast forward a little before a year we noticed she would get eye infections often. Each time the infection seemed more aggressive and started to include light sensitivity and swelling. Finally our scheduled yearly exam 11/18/2024, she was dilated and examined. The ophthalmologist then asked us to head to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for an MRI as he was able to see a change in her eye. He suspected a possible retina detachment. We arrived at the facility where we were informed they were no longer contracted with our current insurance. Knowing the importance of this scan we decided to proceed anyway . Through the MRI and exam it was determined that Daevaney indeed had a retina detachment but we were also given another heart wrenching diagnosis; Retinoblastoma. My 1 and a half year old has a cancerous tumor in her eye. One of the more rare forms of Cancer. The doctor initially advised we schedule an Enucleation (eye removal surgery) within those next couple of days but doctor wanted more scans before scheduling surgery. After a few scans it was determined that the tumor had grown and extended outside of the eye so in order to safely remove the eye Chemotherapy would need to be initiated but doctor needed to make sure the cancerous cells hadn’t traveled to other areas of her body. The following day my girl was under anesthesia for roughly 6 hours and the following were performed: a PetScan, Spinal Tap, bone marrow biopsy, and procedure to insert a chemo port along with another MRI. She was a champ through it all and even after, during recovery.

So here we are Thursday 11/22/24 we were given good news, the cancer has only attacked her left eye and a bit of her left nerve. Right now my brave girl is attached to fluids through her port to help her be hydrated because she starts Chemo today. Enucleation was postponed until the tumor shrinks enough to safely remove it. The emotional rollercoaster has been rough but this girl is tough and has managed to smile through it thus far.

Why did I write all this

1. Because Daevaney has managed to smile her way into a lot of family and Friends hearts. I know she’s loved by many and those deserve to be informed.

2. To make anyone reading this aware of “the glow” and advise you to not ignore it.

3. We ask that you keep our babygirl in your prayers.

#KnowTheGlow #PrayForDaevaney #retinoblastoma