Arkansas Toddler Has Eye Removed from Rare Retinal Cancer — Only Symptom Was a Swollen Eye

Mar. 15, 2025

Lily Morss, 1, had to have her eye removed from cancer in her retina.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

A toddler was diagnosed withretinal cancerand had to have her eye removed after the only symptom the little girl experienced was swelling around her eye.Arkansas father Josh Morss said he noticed some swelling around his 1-year-old daughter Lily’s eye, so the concerned parents took the toddler to the hospital. “They did a CT scan on her; they said there was something in her eye,” he told local stationKAIT-8.It was a tumor, he said — specifically,retinoblastoma, a cancer in her right eye that theCleveland Clinicexplains happens when cells multiply uncontrollably. Although it’s overall a rare cancer, it’s the most common childhood eye cancer, with about 25% of cases affecting both eyes.In Lily’s case, the cancer in her right eye had spread to her left — and she needed to undergo immediate surgery to remove her right eye on Dec. 20.“I cried, [Lily’s mother Casie] cried. Our little girl’s going through something unimaginable,” he said. The family has been staying at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. more than an hour from their Arkansas home. They’ve set up aGoFundMeas they’ve been out of work, staying with Lily while she undergoes treatment, which includes six rounds of chemotherapy.As of Jan. 7, they have raised more than $14K of the $16K goal.“She’s showing us the courage that we need,” Josh said, as Casie added, “That we need to have.”St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.Matt Patterson via APNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The first symptom of retinoblastoma usuallyappears in photographs, the Cleveland Clinic says, when the pupil shows up white in flash photography. Other symptoms include eyes that don’t follow movement, misaligned or bulging eyes — or swelling and inflammation, as Lily had.Although retinoblastoma often happens before children can talk, they can signal pain, the Cleveland Clinic says, and show they’re struggling through having trouble sleeping or being fussy.Although prognosis is better before the cancer has spread, the family was optimistic about Lily’s chances, writing on the GoFundMe, “We are one step closer to making our little girl’s life better … one step closer but a very long road [lies] ahead of us.”

A toddler was diagnosed withretinal cancerand had to have her eye removed after the only symptom the little girl experienced was swelling around her eye.

Arkansas father Josh Morss said he noticed some swelling around his 1-year-old daughter Lily’s eye, so the concerned parents took the toddler to the hospital. “They did a CT scan on her; they said there was something in her eye,” he told local stationKAIT-8.

It was a tumor, he said — specifically,retinoblastoma, a cancer in her right eye that theCleveland Clinicexplains happens when cells multiply uncontrollably. Although it’s overall a rare cancer, it’s the most common childhood eye cancer, with about 25% of cases affecting both eyes.

In Lily’s case, the cancer in her right eye had spread to her left — and she needed to undergo immediate surgery to remove her right eye on Dec. 20.

“I cried, [Lily’s mother Casie] cried. Our little girl’s going through something unimaginable,” he said. The family has been staying at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. more than an hour from their Arkansas home. They’ve set up aGoFundMeas they’ve been out of work, staying with Lily while she undergoes treatment, which includes six rounds of chemotherapy.

As of Jan. 7, they have raised more than $14K of the $16K goal.

“She’s showing us the courage that we need,” Josh said, as Casie added, “That we need to have.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.Matt Patterson via AP

Matt Patterson via AP

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The first symptom of retinoblastoma usuallyappears in photographs, the Cleveland Clinic says, when the pupil shows up white in flash photography. Other symptoms include eyes that don’t follow movement, misaligned or bulging eyes — or swelling and inflammation, as Lily had.

Although retinoblastoma often happens before children can talk, they can signal pain, the Cleveland Clinic says, and show they’re struggling through having trouble sleeping or being fussy.

Although prognosis is better before the cancer has spread, the family was optimistic about Lily’s chances, writing on the GoFundMe, “We are one step closer to making our little girl’s life better … one step closer but a very long road [lies] ahead of us.”

source: people.com