At the tender age of two, Brooklynn Rose Lynch was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma—cancer in both eyes.  What started as her parents simply noticing a slight reflection in Brooke’s eye, quickly transformed into a cancer diagnosis.  Indeed, it was fewer than 48 hours between Brooklynn’s first doctor’s appointment and the date of her first chemo treatment.  

It has now been two years since that life-changing day, and Brooklynn has been through a lot.  Following her diagnosis, Brooklynn underwent monthly sedated eye exams and hospital admissions for two days of chemotherapy.  Being so young, it was difficult for her to understand why the doctors and nurses needed to do so many procedures.  But she persevered through it all—though she was not shy to share any disapproval with her nurses :)

Five months into her treatments, the doctors informed Brooklynn’s parents that the tumor in her right eye was not responding to treatment.  After consultation with her medical team, the impossible decision was made to remove Brooklynn’s right eye.  She received a prosthetic eye four months after her surgery. 

The sedated eye exams continued, and Brooklynn’s left eye kept responding to the chemo treatments.  In the year after her diagnosis, she became a big sister 2 months after diagnosis, she underwent 13 rounds of chemo, had almost 200 needle “pokes,” 70 visits to the clinic, 35 scans/eye exams, 26 procedures under anesthesia, and 7 visits to the emergency room.  

Brooklynn has certainly had her challenges over the past two years (the removal of her right eye, the loss of her hair, and the plethora of doctor’s appointments, just to name a few).  Her cancer is not formally in remission, but her last chemo treatment was in the spring of 2018, her hair has returned, the tumors in her eye remain stable, and her eye exams are less frequent.  She continues to be closely monitored, however, because she is at a risk to develop other types of cancer.   

She has also been blessed to have the support of so many friends, family members, and community organizations.  In March, the Love Your Melon superhero campus crew provided Brooklynn and her friends with an exciting day at Nickelodeon Universe.  And in May, Brooklynn received a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Florida Keys through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she swam with dolphins, rode in a limo, was kissed by a sea lion, and swam in the ocean to her heart’s content.  

Despite all she’s been through, Brooklynn hasn’t lost her spunky personality.  She is excited to begin her newest adventure this fall: pre-K!  Brooklynn and her parents support the following organizations:  Love Your Melon, Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, Fiona's Hope, University of Minnesota Health

Follow Brooklyn's story on CaringBridge via this link... Brooklyn's Story
 

*Click on the photo to see more from Brooklyn's session.