Family plunged into hellish nightmare after adorable toddler suffered swollen eyes

An Arkansas family of five found themselves in a nightmare over the holidays when they learned their one-year-old daughter had a rare eye cancer.

The family was preparing for the Christmas holidays on December 18 when they noticed baby Lily’s left eye was swollen. Worried, they rushed her to the hospital.

Doctors performed a CT scan after noticing something was in her eye. They discovered it was a rare cancer of the retina called retinoblastoma.

Josh Morss, Lily’s father, said: ‘I broke down. I cried. She cried.

“We were like, ‘Our little girl was going through something unimaginable.’

That same day, Lily was transferred to St Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Once there, oncologists decided the best course of action was to remove her left eye.

Meanwhile, they took samples of bone marrow and spinal fluid to determine whether the cancer had spread to other parts of her body.

When surgeons removed the left eye, they discovered that Lily also had two tumors in her right eye, requiring six rounds of chemotherapy to try to shrink them. According to her mother, Casie, “her doctor has 80 percent confidence that he will be able to save her right eye.”

Doctors had to remove Lily’s left eye. In about eight weeks she will receive an eye prosthesis during chemotherapy

On Christmas Eve, Mr Morss revealed on Facebook that the cancer in Lily’s eyes had not spread elsewhere. “However, we will be going back and forth to Memphis for treatment and appointments over the next month,” he added.

The family has split their time between their home in Paragould, Arkansas and Memphis, an arrangement that has taken a significant financial toll.

Mr Morss said: ‘I haven’t been to work since December 16, and I’m the only one working.’

Lily has just finished her first chemo treatment and has five more to go.

Her parents said she is still in good spirits, posting photos of their little girl giggling in the hospital or laughing with her head on her father’s shoulder.

Mr Morss said: ‘She is showing us the courage we need.’

Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer of the retina – the inner layer of the eye, located at the back of the eye. It is responsible for receiving light and images.

Approximately 300 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the US, according to Texas Children’s Hospital, accounting for approximately three percent of pediatric cancers. It usually occurs in children three years of age or younger and is very rare in children over six years of age.

Lily, 1, is pictured after her first day of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors in her right eye. Doctors think there is a good chance they can save it

Lily, pictured with her mother Casie, has a long road ahead, including five more chemo treatments in four months

However, the cancer has a high survival rate: 96 percent after five years, and nine out of ten children can be cured. Ninety percent of pediatric patients will have normal vision in at least one eye after treatment.

Doctors may suspect retinoblastoma if a child develops a white discoloration in the eye, swelling of the eyes, redness around the eye, or vision loss.

Treatment includes chemotherapy, laser therapy or cryotherapy to destroy the tumor, but in severe cases, removal of the eye may be necessary.

Lily has about 20 weeks left to go back and forth from Arkansas to St. Jude for chemo treatments with the goal of shrinking the cancer enough to restore her vision in her right eye to 20/20.

And in about eight weeks she will have a prosthetic eye with her left eye removed.