Hadley is a very happy baby. She loves music (especially Baby Shark) and books. She also loves playing with her sister. She already seems very opinionated and will tell you (or show you) if she doesn’t like something. She is talking more and more each day!

When Hadley was 5 months old, she was showing a little bit of a lazy eye every once in awhile. We brought her to the ophthalmologist and that is when they were able to see a tumor in her right eye. It was very unexpected and shocking news to hear. After that it became a whirlwind and we were advised to seek care in Philadelphia at Wills Eye Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After an examination at Wills Eye we found out she had 5 tumors in her right eye (Stage B) and 1 in her left (Stage A).

The large tumor in her right eye is in her line of vision so her vision is limited in that eye. She wears protective glasses and we do patching every day. Eventually she will need prescription glasses. But she doesn’t let that stop her!

Hadley underwent 6 rounds of systemic chemo (once a month for 6 months) and during those visits she also had EUAs (examination under anesthesia) to monitor the tumors in her eyes. She also had to have weekly blood work done for those 6 months. She currently has to continue doing EUAs and right now we are at every 3 months. She also has to have 2 MRIs a year until the age of 5. It’s a struggle to watch her go through all of these procedures and it has been hard on her big sister. We have also face a lot more medical bills than we are used to. 

We are forced to travel 4 hours away for treatment and it has been hard on our oldest daughter as well as Hadley. But we also realize it has made us stronger and we appreciate things more. Hadley has been a trooper through it all, and it amazes us how strong she is.

Hope session by Megan Gibbons Photography | Facebook | Instagram