Jasiah Alvarado

Jasiah was 2 years old when he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumor in the retina of his eye.

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We noticed Jasiah had a white glare in his right eye. We took him to multiple doctors and eventually ended up in Miami at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. They took a closer look at Jasiah’s tumor, and the results showed that the tumor was taking up approximately 80% of his eye and affecting his eyesight.

He was Stage D and at high risk of losing his eye.

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We came up with a plan for Jasiah to receive chemotherapy (IAC) under anesthesia every four weeks. From April through September, he completed six rounds of chemotherapy.

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In October, just when we thought we were doing well and were going to ring his bell, we received bad news. A new tumor had grown, and Jasiah needed another treatment with IAC.

In November, he received his first PICC line in his arm to receive intravenous chemotherapy. He also received a lumbar puncture. A couple of weeks later, he got a port.

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This was a big thing for us because he was hit with all the side effects, and it was breaking our hearts.

He completed four rounds of IV chemotherapy, which was working very well.

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After the tough battle filled with doctor appointments, pokes, sedation, MRIs, side effects, tears, anxiety, waiting for good news, broken hearts, tiredness, surgeries, long car rides, frequent hospital stays, discomfort, infection risks, fear, and most of all, prayers, Jasiah was finally able to ring his bell in February. 🔔

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Today, he is in remission from retinoblastoma and is home with his twin brother and family.

There is so much more to his story, but this is just a little summary of Jasiah’s journey.

#JasiahStrong 🎗️💛