PARAGOULD, Ark. (KAIT/Gray News) – A family of five from Arkansas faced a tough battle over Christmas after they learned their 1-year-old daughter had cancer and needed her eye removed.
The Morss family spent Christmas at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, somewhere they didn’t expect to be. In the week before the holiday, the family of five learned their 1-year-old daughter had cancer, KAIT reports.
Father Josh Morss says the family was getting ready for Christmas when they noticed 1-year-old Lily Morss had a swollen eye. Concerned, they took her to the hospital Dec. 18.
“They did a CT scan on her. They said there was something in her eye,” Morss said.
Doctors determined the “something” was retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the retina that accounts for about 3% of childhood cancers, according to Texas Children’s Hospitals.
Lily had cancer in both eyes, but it had spread from her left eye. Doctors at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis had no option but to remove that eye in a Dec. 20 surgery, the family wrote on GoFundMe.
“I broke down. I cried. She cried. We were like, ‘Our little girl was going through something unimaginable,’” Morss said.
Since receiving Lily’s diagnosis, the family has split their time between Memphis and their home in Paragould, Arkansas, which they said took a financial toll.
“I haven’t been to work since Dec. 16, and I’m the only one that works,” Morss said. “The back and forth, coming over here.”
But despite the hardship, the family is proud of Lily as she continues her fight against cancer. Her parents describe her as a happy and energetic little girl.
“She’s showing us the courage that we need to have,” Morss said.
While the family didn’t have the Christmas they envisioned, they got a little miracle of their own. Different organizations began helping pay their bills and getting their children gifts, something they are grateful for.
“The whole community came together, and they’re pretty much the reason why my kids had a Christmas,” Morss said. “It’s very heartwarming. We appreciate everyone who has stepped up.”
The family is also grateful to St. Jude, saying the staff there has supported them and made their stay much easier.
Lily’s recovery is still ongoing. She has chemotherapy and other appointments left, but her family is ready to face that battle with her.
The family says they now want to raise awareness for retinoblastoma. The condition is hereditary, and with early detection, the eye or eyes can be saved.
The GoFundMe set up to help the family with expenses had raised more than $11,000, as of Wednesday night.
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