A mother has revealed that the simple action of uploading a picture of her daughter to social media potentially saved her life.
According to a recent report by Good Morning America, hospital worker and mother-of-five Jasmine Martin, who hails from Knoxville in Tennessee, first noticed a spot that looked like "a large moon" in her 17-month-old daughter Sariyah's eye, on July 10, 2020.
Perturbed, Jasmine took to Facebook and shared a picture of her daughter in which the spot was clearly visible, and asked the internet whether it was anything to be worried about. As it turns out, it was.
A number of concerned Facebook users commented on the picture, urging her to take Sariyah to the pediatrician. She did, and although the first doctor she consulted assured her nothing was wrong.
"I just had a feeling she needed to be seen. Her doctor got her in and said it was nothing serious. She said they’d just done an eye exam at her well check, but they did another one," Jasmine told GMA.
However, Jasmine's maternal instincts wouldn't let the matter rest.
Luckily, one of Jasmine's friends had spotted the picture and emailed it to a doctor they knew.
"The next part of the story is nothing short of a God story.
"A doctor/friend from work saw the photo I posted and messaged me. She reached out to an eye doctor and she wanted to see her immediately," Jasmine revealed.
This doctor was seriously alarmed by the image, and Sariyah was urgently rushed to St Jude's hospital.
Sariyah was subsequently diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma - a rare form of cancer affecting the retinas of approximately 250-300 children each year, according to St Jude's website.
The child has now had to go through chemotherapy treatment, and although the tumor in her eye is shrinking, it hasn't gone away completely.
In an emotional Instagram post made on the day her little girl was taken to the hospital, Jasmine wrote:
"I’m scared, confused, angry, heartbroken and everything else. I’m upset her pediatrician said it was all fine, but now I know they just don’t see it that often."
She continued: "When this is over I’ll do my best to make sure there’s more awareness and education, so that all parents will be taken seriously should they ever notice it in their child’s eyes. [sic]"
She added:
"Out of 14yrs of working in the hospital... I’ve seen parents completely undone as doctors have delivered heartbreaking news. But today it’s appointments being made for my own child, it’s me coming completely undone [sic]."
However, according to Good Morning America, Jasmine's friends and neighbors have stepped up to help the family through their difficult time, and now Jasmine wants to spread awareness about her daughter's condition, urging moms of the world to follow their instincts
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