It all started in March or 2016 when Damian’s eye started to become lazy. I didnt think anything of it since my other son also had a lazy eye. He had eye muscle surgery to correct it and i shrugged it off as it being that. Damian would probably need surgery too, I told myself.
A few months passed and one day in the kitchen, Damian looked up at me and I saw a small grey glow in his eye. It worried me. Then another month passed and the glow got bigger and noticeable. I started to do my research and found it could be many things, one of them a rare eye cancer called Retinoblastoma. When I took him to the doctor, she looked worried and said it could be retinoblastoma. She sent us immedietly to the eye doctor across the hall. The eye doctor did an ultrasound and told us there was a tumor in his eye and that he was already blind. We needed to go to Houston, Texas asap to see the eye doctor there. We were warned that most likely he would have his eye removed.
The doctor in Houston recommended he have his eye removed and we went ahead and did that. Then about a month later his team decided he should complete 6 rounds of chemo as precaution, in case any small tumors might have gotten out into his body. So in November 2016 he began treatment. He finished in March 2017.
He has had 3 clear scans ever since and many clear eye exams in his remaining eye. They did freeze a suspicious spot on his remaining eye but never knew for sure what it was. He did great with chemo. He never needed a blood transfusion and his counts were always good. He handled chemo like a champ with only a little nausea and constipation.
Our family had a hard time with his diagnosis. I also lost a baby at 5 months pregnant during that time…..but we got through it and we are doing good now. Damian is a thriving energetic smart silly boy. Having one eye never stopped him nor does it affect him.
Hope session by Pagette Calendar Photography | Facebook