Former patient, Marley Camp, and her father to volunteer at RBK Day, May 13
Looking back, Tarik Camp can easily identify when his daughter Marley's retinoblastoma first revealed itself. It was a split-second observation that he didn't understand but couldn't dismiss.
I was giving her a bath and, just for a second there was a weird reflection in one of her eyes,
Camp recalls. At the time, of course, I just thought it was the light playing with me. But then I asked my wife Paige and she said she'd seen something strange, too. So we figured we'd bring it up at her one-year check-up.
Life went into warp speed at that point, as the pediatrician's suspicions were quickly confirmed by Dr. Baker Hubbard, a retina specialist at the Emory Eye Center. Within a week of that well-child check-up, Marley was undergoing surgery at Emory to remove her left eye.
You have a lot of feelings when you hear that word [cancer]. But you figure you'll feel them later, when you have time, because right now, you need to help your kid and you are full of questions,
he said. Like 'Will she survive? ' and 'How will this affect her life? ' and 'What can I do to help her? '
Every case is different. For Tarik and Paige Camp, the biggest sigh of relief came when they discovered Marley's tumor had not metastasized. But many questions persisted for the working parents, who were juggling all of the other impossible tasks that all parents must tackle.
The answers came, bit by bit, from individuals who shared the Camps' experience - children, families, doctors who joined them in the fight against retinoblastoma. Many were associated with the Emory Eye Center, where Marley received ongoing care for her condition.
And that's a big reason why I'm committed to helping out with Emory's Retinoblastoma Kids Day. You are left with a big adjustment, a whirlwind, when you have this diagnosis,
he said.
And these are the people who can help you get through it. The families who have just been diagnosed and the ones, like mine, who have come through it. It's a chance to celebrate with people who feel the same way I do.
Joining Tarik at this year's RB Kids festival will be Marley, now a 17-year-old junior at Parkview High School where she plays center back on the varsity soccer team. On May 13, she'll be busy helping her old man make funnel cakes. But we predict Marley will also find ample opportunity to roll her eyes at Tarik's irrepressible 'Dad-isms.' Like this one he left us with:
She plays a fast-paced sport that requires quick reflexes. And she's playing better with one eye than a lot of kids do with two. She's even looking at colleges that can offer her an athletic scholarship. She really is that good.
Yup, Marley, we're rolling our eyes, too: Life really is that good.
-Kathleen E. Moore