 |
| KATELYN FAITH Katelyn's story is written by her mum, Karol. |
| 2 and a half years later, Katelyn is thriving. She’s in the top of her 1st grade class, enjoys gymnastics and bowling. She loves animals, especially her cat, which stays by her side. As a parent, my eyes still draw tears when I think back over that summer! How lucky we were to have caught it in time! From the day we were told she had this, I knew in my heart that no matter what we were to face ahead, it was very important for her, to keep things as normal as we possibly could. (Hard!) I had never heard of RB before, now I make it a point to tell everyone who has children and grandchildren about it. I thank God and the Angels every day for watching out over her, and for guiding us to the people who could help her. There were many miracles that came about in those 3 days from being diagnosed to having the surgery. Katelyn needed time to adjust to what happened to her so I did not send her back to preschool that fall. The children made her nervous and she just needed her mom to help her feel secure while she coped with things. So I changed my shift at work, going to the night shift, so I could be with her during the day. This worked out well and she loved being home with me. The hardest part I think, for Katelyn, was looking at her eye after I took the bandage off. It scared her at first. I would catch her sneaking peeks in the mirror, and after a while, she accepted this. The day she received her prosthetic eye was a day we celebrated! She had to show everyone her beautiful new eye. She was so proud. One thing I didn’t think to explain to her about her new eye, was she would not be able to see out of it. She was thinking all that time she would be able to, and at first she was very disappointed about that. But again, she accepted things as they came, and just learned to cope. I recommend parents to explain that to their child if they are older so they wont be thinking that their new eye means seeing better. This experience has changed me in many ways and I'm still discovering them about myself. I know that I don’t let the small stuff bother me any more. I appreciate my life and children that much more after going through this. I'm even more compassionate to others, and I value life, no matter what kind it is, to the fullest. I appreciate every day that I am given, to be here with my family and friends. Most of all, I am so grateful and proud to be the mom of my 2 beautiful daughters! |
| Katelyn was born on July 12, 1996. I had a normal pregnancy with her, and she was born weighing a healthy 7-lb. 7 ounces. Katelyn's first few years were very normal and she attended day care from the very start. She has always been a very strong willed child, and loved to perform (being silly) for any one that she could get attention from. It was 1 month after her 4th birthday when she was diagnosed with RB. We had just returned home from a 2-week camping trip, and I had taken her for her yearly physical with the pediatrician, which is a mandatory state law in New York for children attending daycare. It was then, that her doctor noticed something odd with her right eye, as soon as he came into her room. Then he looked into it with a light and began asking me all sorts of questions. Like, has she complained about any discomfort in her eye? Had I noticed anything different about it? Thinking back, I did have an uneasiness feeling about her when we were camping. I noticed she kept tripping on everything on her right side. Her legs had tons of bruises to show for all the falls. Also, she began showing fear about going down steps. I had to carry her many times down them. But at that time, I knew we had a doctor appointment when we got home, so I just kept close watch over her. Other than that, she never complained, she didn’t act sick, and she ate well. So of course I thought it couldn’t be serious. How wrong was I! The pediatrician sent us the same day to a retina specialist, who told me that she had Retinoblastoma. He said that if this isn’t treated as soon as possible, it could be fatal. It was then, that I felt like my heart had stopped beating. I could feel myself start to shake, and I tried hard not to show that, or cry. Meanwhile, Katelyn was exploring his office, and getting into his stuff, not acting in the least like something that serious could be wrong with her. We decided that we would go to Philadelphia to have her treated. The next morning at 2am. we were off for the city, not knowing what to expect. We met the Shields, and after examining her, they recommended her eye be removed as the tumor was huge (14.5mm) and her vision was gone. The following day she had her surgery, and I stayed with her that night in the hospital, being up all night with her. The following afternoon they released us and we headed for home. Katelyn healed beautifully and a few weeks later I found out that the optic nerve was not affected. They did not recommend further treatment. How relieved we all were! |
 |
| To read a local newspaper article about Kaitlyn from September 2001, click here. |
 |
 |
 |
| "Watermark" by Enya |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| ORPHANS OF THE CANCER STORM |
| "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path - and leave a trail." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ |