Sloane

Meet Sloane. This year, while preparing for the holidays, our world was turned upside down. Sloane's left eye looked "funny" in certain light, so we mentioned it to our pediatrician.

He immediately referred us to a pediatric ophthalmologist, who gave us news nobody could’ve been prepared for. At 15 months old, our sweet baby was diagnosed with Bilateral Retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. She immediately underwent cancer staging, and an MRI to rule out tumors in the brain. We are so thankful that the MRI was clear, but the eye tumors were more advanced than anticipated. Her left retina is completely detached and it is unlikely that she has vision in that eye.

She began her treatment plan with surgery for a port placement just a week after her diagnosis followed by her first round of chemotherapy. She will be undergoing systemic chemotherapy for at least 6 months to reduce the size of the tumors, during which she will have frequent eye exams under anesthesia. We have a long road ahead, but we are in the hands of the wonderful caregivers at Riley Hospital for Children. We know that Sloane is one tough cookie and will beat this!