Jayleen she was diagnosed with Bilateral Retinoblastoma at 4 months old. Her left eye was grade E and her right is grade B. She has 4 tumors that are stable right now.
We never really noticed the glow in the eye that is a common sign of Retinoblastoma. Her eye was always cloudy and red around it. It was the most hardest thing we had to overcome and handle since she’s a twin, we had to leave our other newborn Jazmine behind for a month with family.
Jayleen had to have emergency surgery an hour after being diagnosed. That broke me as a mother. Not knowing much about her cancer. After her surgery she had to have chemo the next day and had a bad allergic reaction. They called code blue and I lost it then. After looking for another chemo, they finally found one for her. This time they were ready if she had another allergic reaction. She did! But the nurse was prepared and on the search for another chemo. They finally found a perfect fit this time around. She had 11 cycles of chemo, which she fought without losing her hair.
We still go for MRIs and she goes under anesthesia every 2 months to check for cancer growth. It has been a rough long journey but she fought and we fought harder for her. She’s been sick and hospitalized numerous times but has come a long way. Jayleen has now been stable for 6 months.
Hope session by Jo Rae Mi Photography | Facebook