Addyson – Bilateral Retinoblastoma

Addyson was born with bi-lateral retinoblastoma(a rare cancer in both eyes).

Her pediatricians didn’t notice her eyes being crossed and a glaze over them.Her Grandmother and I knew something was really wrong and she was taken to an ophthalmologist at 3months old. It was her mommy’s 18th b-day when the doctor said she has cancer in both eyes, that was on a Friday and by the following Monday she was at the Children’s Hospital.

We didnt know if it had spread to her brain and her bones. It is a very fast growing cancer!

After an enormous amount of testing it was found that it had not spread beyond her eyes. She began chemotherapy within two days of her arrival at the hospital. After several rounds of chemo, chryotherapy (burning of tumors) and lasor treatment finally her Mommy and Daddy were told she was cancer free.

Addyson got her new glasses in April 2013, for protection of her eyes. A week after that she was taken back to the hospital for a regular check-up. It felt just like the day we found out about her cancer at 3months old. The cancer was back in her right eye. Her parents were given two options chemo or removal of her right eye. They had one week to decide.

She underwent introvenious chemo, that is where it is ran up through her leg into her eye. Surgery took 6 hours and then she went into p.i.c.u.

She is a little fighter because they dismissed her that night. Addyson only weighs 14lbs.and she’s 13 months old. She is 28 inches tall so shes a tiny baby by nature. She’s walking really good now too. She has had to go to a speech therapists because she didn’t want anything with texture in her mouth. Her appetite and trying different foods has improved somewhat.

Addyson is totally blind in her right eye and still has tiny clusters in her left eye.

She is an amazing baby always with a smile.

Praying that the chemo has started working on that nasty disease. If it hasn’t then they will remove her eye. Thank you so much for listening to her story.