Following a 1-year-old’s cancer diagnosis, the community comes together to support the family

Paragould, Arkansas – A family who is struggling at Christmas expresses gratitude to their community.
The Morss family announced that they would be staying in Memphis, a place they had not anticipated.

When the family of five learned that their child had cancer, they received some of the most devastating news any parent could get.

According to the father, Josh Morss, the family discovered that 1-year-old Lily Morss had a bulging eye while they were preparing for Christmas.

On December 18, they took her to the hospital out of concern.

According to her father, Josh Morss, “They did a CT scan on her; they said there was something in her eye.”

When the physicians returned, they concluded that “that something” was retinoblastoma, a rare retinal malignancy that makes up around 3% of all juvenile tumors, according to Texas Children’s Hospitals.

Doctors at St. Jude in Memphis had to remove Lily’s left eye because the cancer had spread through it.

She and I both sobbed. He remarked, “We thought that our little girl was going through something that was unthinkable.”

Since then, the family has divided their time between Memphis and their home in Paragould, which they claim has negatively impacted their finances.

“I’m the only one who works, and I haven’t been to work since December 16,” he stated. “The coming over here, the back and forth.”

Despite the difficulties, they are proud of their daughter’s battle with cancer.

According to her parents, Lily was a content and active one-year-old.

Josh Morss remarked, “She’s giving us the courage we need to do.” “That we must have,” her mother Casie Morss stated.

The family experienced a small miracle of their own, even if it wasn’t the Christmas they had planned.

They started receiving assistance from several groups to cover their expenses and buy Christmas presents for their kids.

According to her, “my kids had a Christmas because the entire community really stepped up and came together.”

The family expressed their gratitude to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, stating that the personnel helped them and made their stay much more comfortable.

Lily’s recuperation is still in progress. Her family is prepared to fight that battle alongside her, even though she still has chemotherapy and other appointments to attend. First, they would want to thank everyone who helped them get the most out of this Christmas.

“Thank you so much; it’s really touching. Her parents remarked, “We are grateful to everyone who has stepped up.”

The family stated that they now wish to increase awareness of retinoblastoma, a hereditary illness that can save an eye or eyes if detected early.