How It All Started...

Yesterday, we received some incredibly difficult news that every parent dreads to hear. Our beautiful Maya has been diagnosed with retinoblastoma, which is essentially a tumour enclosed in the retina of her right eye. It has been a whirlwind week...it all started Monday when I took her to the optometrist because we had noticed that her right pupil looked white in certain lights. The optometrist did a battery of tests and sent us to Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Sherbrooke to meet with an Ophthalmologist. At this point, all she told us was that it could be an infection or it could be a tumour.

The next morning, Robbie and I went with Maya to Hôtel-Dieu and spent the morning doing those same tests again. Every time we entered the examination room, there was an extra doctor there. In the last room they took us to, there were about 5 doctors present. Nothing is more unsettling for a parent than not knowing what is going on, but sensing it is serious. They again told us they weren't sure what it was and arranged an emergency appointment at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal to meet with specialized Ophthalmologists there.

We spent yesterday once again with Maya undergoing a bunch of tests (the same ones again). I am baffled, in awe, proud and amazed (not enough words to describe how amazed I was) by my little girl. She was a pillar of strength and not bothered by ANY of it (except the drops in her eye to dilate the pupils, but that would bug me too after 10 rounds of drops in 3 days).

Finally, after one final ultrasound, the doctors came back with their diagnosis: retinoblastoma. There are many treatments involving chemotherapy and radiation, but none of them are guaranteed to work and all of them have many risks involved such as side-effects and the possibility of future cancers. The only sure-fire way of curing her is to remove her eye completely and put in a prosthesis. This news knocked us on our behinds, but we know that this is the only choice. If the cancer is contained, removing the eye cures her completely without any need for radiation or chemotherapy. She still has an MRI to do on Monday and they will do a complete eye exam on Tuesday before her surgery to make sure the other eye is okay and to make sure the cancer has not spread. Depending on how those two tests go, she will have the eye removal surgery on Tuesday.

I cannot describe the pain I feel in my heart. It hits us like waves in an ocean. There are moments of clarity and hope and moments of pure sadness and grief. We are tapping into Maya's strength to keep us strong and we are taking our moments of solitude to cry our hearts out.

Maya is an angel and the feeling we get is that her soul knows what is going on. She is living this journey with an open heart and in peace.

We are asking you, our friends whether we know each other well or not, to please send us any positive vibes you may have: prayers, love, happy thoughts, etc. Open your hearts to us and send us only good...we wish to distance ourselves from fear, discouragement or any other negative thinking.