Mom Discovers Her 2_Year-Old Had Cancer After Spotting Strange A Glow In A Photograph

It’s not unusual for parents to be constantly taking pictures of their kids… especially these days. Hell, these days it’s not uncommon for anyone to take pictures of literally everything. I swear yesterday my best friend instagrammed a blurry picture of a cloud she spotted that was apparently “totally her vibe” along with the caption “Actual Mood” – and if anybody can tell me what ANY of that means then please, please get in touch because I am completely afraid to ask her.

ANYWAY, as I was saying, parents take pictures of their kids A LOT. In fact, parents (and the rest of us) take so many pictures that half the time we don’t actually take the time to look at the pictures we’ve taken because of the sheer, vast amount of them all.

For one mother who lives in Oregon, however, taking time to take a second look at her daughter’s eyes in a photo changed their lives forever.

Elly Smith noticed that one of her daughter’s eyes lit up in one of her photos in a pretty distinct way… a totally different way from the other one.

Luckily, Elly then decided to follow up with then 2-year-old Gracie’s pediatrician. The Pediatrician then referred little Gracie to an eye doctor… who then delivered her and Elly some terrible, terrible news. Back in May 2016, several tumors were found in Gracie’s little eye.  She was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a form of cancer that develops in the retina.

Retinoblastoma is the most common eye cancer in children.

The little girl then bravely battled with her family by her side and (some great news here at least) is doing great today! Elly decided that it was SUPER important to share with other parents the seemingly innocuous hint that led to Gracie’s diagnosis… and I couldn’t agree with her more.

Read the full story below:

SWNS

Elly Smith, mother to little Gracie Smith, one day noticed a strange glow in one of her daughter’s eyes while looking closer at a photo.

“I knew something was wrong with Gracie because her eye would be glowing, and it looked like she had a lazy eye,” she told SWNS, per Fox News.

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She promptly made her daughter a doctor’s appointment that same day. They then underwent further testing with an eye specialist.

SWNS

Doctors eventually found several tumors in 2-year-old Gracie’s eye.. and tragically she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer.

SWNS

The American Cancer Society cites retinoblastoma as the most common form of eye cancer in children. If untreated, tumors can grow and fill the eyeball, leading to more tumors, eye pressure, and glaucoma… which sounds bloody freakin’ terrifying even for an adult, never mind a child!

SWNS

Gracie went straight to Wills Eye Hospital, which is located in Philadelphia, for further evaluation. Specialists eventually determined the best course of treatment was to remove Gracie’s affected eye completely and replace it with a prosthetic one.

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As you can probably imagine, it wasn’t easy at all explaining that to such a young child, but Elly says Gracie took it all in stride.

“Gracie was fine with it. She is so resilient,” Elly explained. Gracie’s a little trooper!

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It was understandably a scary time for both Gracie and her family. Gracie actually has three older brothers too, and they were incredibly scared for her, but they were also happy to know she would be OK after she had had her treatment.

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Just look at that gorgeous little smile! And just a month after Gracie’s tumors were discovered, she underwent surgery in order to completely remove her cancerous eye. She then promptly began chemotherapy two weeks later.

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It took three whole months before Gracie was finally cleared for her prosthetic. And as you can probably imagine, the little girl was just as brave when it came to that process too!

“When they make the eye you get to choose something to put on the top so you know which is the top of the eye — Gracie chose a horse,” her mother recalled.

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Gracie is now “a  big girl” at  5 years old and is currently cancer-free! HAPPY DAYS! Of course, she still undergoes routine testing every three months in order to ensure her health remains good.

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Gracie isn’t embarrassed at all about her prosthetic. In fact, she happily tells all of her friends about her “magic” eye… which I absolutely LOVE!

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“She even has taken her spare eye in for show and tell!” Elly revealed. “She has such an amazing spirit — she helped our family get through this.”

I mean, you can kind of tell by the image just how wonderful this little ran of sunshine is, can’t you!?

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Elly now hopes that by sharing Gracie’s story, she can help other parents to detect retinoblastoma in their own children early if need be.

It’s SO super important to follow up with a doctor any time something strikes you as abnormal, especially with younger children… clearly, you never know what could be lurking beneath the surface! It can be the “overly” cautious move that saves their life.

Have you ever experienced anything like this before folks, or know anyone who has? Honestly – for me, the thought is absolutely terrifying! Can you imagine if this Mom had never noticed the glow!? Let me know what you think in the comments, and don’t forget to share this incredibly important information with your friends and family too – especially those who have kids themselves! AAx

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