Kiki

I was only two and a half back in '85. My father's good friend, Ed, begged for him to take me to a doctor after noticing I had a "lazy eye". My parents immediately brought me for a checkup. Our eye doctor detected that, at the tender age of two and a half, I had retinoblastoma.

My parents were terrified and devastated. They were not familiar with this disease, and my family believed I would soon die. But my parents had to hold back on their fears and take action, quick.

It was around Christmas and within two weeks of finding out, I underwent surgery and it was successful.

Throughout those years my family and I have gone through much pain. I grew up not fully comprehending what was wrong and somehow I felt I was out of place. My parents are very overprotective of me and had never really talked about what had occurred. It was very hard growing up. I would have to deal with kids staring or making small comments, which would cause my self-esteem to be very low. Slowly I learned to deal with it. I finally realized that there was nothing wrong with me. God had put me on this earth and has put me in a family, and with a group of friends, that keeps me strong and has been there for me. Fourteen years later, I am now sixteen and a half. I remember one day my father turned to me and said, "If you believe in God, he will never let you down." I have taken those words to heart. Things happen in life that you can't stop, but it's not a reason to shut out the world. I know how hard it is to deal with things in life, but remember one thing...you are never alone...

Kiki