Retinoblastoma; Autisum
It was January 26, 2005, and I was taking Owen for his 15 month well visit. I had noticed the strange glare on his eye several times but didn't think much of it. I was more concerned about his vision. Being very nearsighted myself, I made sure I knew what to look for and he had been tilting his head to the side when playing so I knew something was wrong. I had no clue it was cancer. Retinoblastoma to be exact. Within two days we were at Children’s Hospital and our lives were forever changed. Owen had a stage five tumor in his left eye and a very tiny one in the right. We were told that he was, and would forever be blind in the left eye. We began to pray and believe for a different outcome that very day. After one round of chemo the left tumor was shrunken by 50% and the right tumor small enough to begin laser treatments. After six chemo treatments Owens optic nerve was visible and untouched. The last three years have been full of doctor visits, chemo, laser treatments and GOOD CHECKUPS. That sweet baby is now almost 5 years old and is soon to "officially" be declared "cancer-free". We have been claiming it the whole time! He CAN see just fine and does not even need glasses. On the heels of all of this, Owen was diagnosed with Autism. He has the sweetest spirit but he is a little warrior in disguise. He doesn't say "Hi Mommy", "Hi Daddy" or "Where are we going?"...he doesn't say anything, but he says so much. He tells us that life is a gift, and that faith and hope are everything. He tells us he is happy to be here. When we walked into Children's, we entered a world we never knew existed. The doctors and nurses became our best friends, our family. It was strange to walk into a place so foreign, yet so safe. It is an amazing place. I thank God for them every time I walk in the building.
