“It’s the biggest shock of our lives, but it’s brought our family closer together.” – Carla, Evelyn’s mom

Throughout her many dozens of doctor’s appointments, Evelyn never lost her sweetness. Despite the hardships of a cancer diagnosis at only 1 year old, she approaches every day hoping to make the most of it. Whether playing outside with her older brothers or pretending to be a princess, Evelyn keeps her family smiling.

Those grins faded for a stretch several years ago when Carla and her husband Tom took Evelyn, called Evie by her family, for her 1-year-old check-up. The doctors had trouble getting a clear reading on her eyes at the appointment. A few hours later, their doctor called and said it was urgent they come back. Sensing something was amiss, they returned that next day as early as possible.

“The ophthalmologist looked into Evie’s eyes and immediately got the attending doctor from the floor, who promptly got the head of the department,” said Carla. “His opinion was that Evie likely had retinoblastoma.”

After a specialist confirmed the diagnosis, Evie’s treatment process started within 10 days. That’s when the flood of decisions began.

“We start the whirlwind of trying to figure out what we’re gonna do, who are we gonna be treated by, should we get a referral, etc.,” said Carla.

As a military family, their treatment started at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The initial chemotherapies and radiation were successful, stemming the cancer’s advancement. That proved to be just a flicker of hope though.

“The most difficult day was when we found out she had a recurrence for the first time, that was a bit of a shock to the system,” said Carla. “We thought we were on the way, and you get mentally up and then all of a sudden you’re shoved to the bottom again.”

Those hardships are when the family draws positivity from their kids’ strength. Evie’s endearing smile guides the way, with her helpful older brothers chipping in their own special way. They are always checking on their little sister, fetching anything she may need.

Their day-by-day approach helps them maintain some sense of normalcy. Otherwise, the stress would get too overwhelming.

“We try not to dwell on it as we’re leading up to a treatment or scan,” said Carla. “We try to limit our stress level to a couple of days before and then day-of, we can handle it.”

Evie’s been a trooper too. Currently, she’s undergoing MRI’s every six months with the hope that it can expand to yearly scans if all goes as planned. They still see their retinoblastoma specialist a bit more often to keep an eye on her vision.

Despite the upheaval in their lives, it’s had a galvanizing effect on their family. “It’s the biggest shock of our lives, but it’s brought our family closer together,” said Carla.

While they prep for Evie’s Make-a-Wish trip to visit her favorite Disney princesses, they’re also doing what they can to spread awareness for the disease. After Evie’s diagnosis, they hosted a fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and got a great response.

“Being a military family, we haven’t had quite the financial burden of other folks, so it’s nice to raise money to help people that may need it a little more than we do,” said Carla. “If there’s any way to help research and things like that, it’s a positive thing.”