10
Loading video...
By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A mom from Ohio has revealed how something she spotted on a baby monitor led to a devastating diagnosis for her 2-year-old daughter.
Back in August, mom Kristen Draime, 28, noticed that her daughter’s left eye was wandering occasionally. After speaking with a pediatrician about her concerns, Draime was reassured that it was strabismus, or squint, which is common in young children.
Nonetheless, Draime told Newsweek that her daughter, Miley, was referred to a specialist at the ophthalmologist in December. As it turned out, that visit would prove unnecessary because of what was still to come.
Read More on Health
“On November 8, we noticed a white in the pupil of her eye when she looked up at me. I then took a picture of her with the flash on, and I could still see a white in her pupil,” Draime said.
...
“She was not experiencing any pain. In hindsight, we noticed she had been a little more clumsy than usual, but nothing else.”
As a result, she started Googling and kept being drawn back to retinoblastoma, a rare childhood cancer of the retina. While doing her research, she saw an article about a mom who noticed on the baby monitor that her child’s eye didn’t have “a glow.”
Without hesitation, Draime checked her baby monitor to see what Miley’s left eye looked like.
“I quickly ran to the monitor after we put our daughter to sleep, and she didn’t have a glow in her bad eye. I was horrified,” Draime continued.
The devastated mom was left crying all night, and had a “mother’s intuition” that something was seriously wrong. The following morning, Draime carried out another check to test her theory. When Miley woke up, Draime covered her right eye and noticed that her left eye immediately went lazy.
She rushed Miley to the children’s emergency room straight away.
Draime said: “The doctor called an ophthalmologist into the ER, who looked into her eyes and then did an ultrasound. This ultrasound showed the tumor, and we were told it was retinoblastoma, a rare childhood cancer in the eye.
“It was the worst thing we ever heard. The on-call ophthalmologist told us she would never have sight in that eye again. I knew this was coming, I could feel it in my bones. But to hear it confirmed and know she’d never see out of that eye again was brutal,” she continued.
Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer that happens when the cells at the back of the eye multiply uncontrollably to form a tumor. It’s considered a rare childhood cancer, as The Cleveland Clinic estimates that there are 3.3 cases per 1 million people under the age of 20. There are approximately 300 new cases annually in the U.S. in that age group.
The condition is typically diagnosed before the age of 3, with common symptoms including misaligned eyes, pain, bulging eyes, infection, and the pupil appearing white (leukocoria).
Sadly, Miley had to have her eye removed on November 21 as the eye was detached from the retina and the tumor “filled her entire eye.” The family is awaiting a biopsy on the eye to find out whether she will require chemotherapy.
It was devastating for Draime to explain to Miley that she would be losing an eye, but they knew this was her best chance at survival.
...
“It was hard to see her eye be removed, but it wasn’t a difficult decision because without her eye being removed, the cancer would spread. Chemo would not have saved her eye at this point,” Draime said.
“She couldn’t see out of that eye, and we did our best to gently explain she will go ‘night night’ and wake up with one eye. Now, she still has a bandage on her eye, so she isn’t fully aware what happened.”
Miley is recovering incredibly well from the surgery so far. She is still being her fun self, and it’s been heartening for Draime to see that she “hasn’t changed” one bit.
Following the devastating revelation that her 2-year-old has cancer, Draime has shared the experience on social media (@kpdraime33 on TikTok). A video of the mom trying to explain to her daughter that she was going to lose an eye has melted so many hearts already, generating over 6.3 million views at the time of writing.
Draime was inundated with questions about her daughter’s diagnosis, and she shared a clip detailing how what she saw on the baby monitor proved pivotal. At first, Draime “felt guilty” for going viral because of her daughter’s diagnosis, but now she views it as a powerful tool for education and awareness.
“I hold a lot of guilt that I can’t just give my eye away so Miley doesn’t feel alone. But because she went viral, we met tons of people who have lost an eye or know someone else who has,” Draime told Newsweek.
“I’ve connected with so many people that Miley can talk to one day if she ever feels insecure, sad or unhappy. She will have people who can relate and understand, which means more to me than anything else.”
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines