With matching blue framed glasses, short blonde hair and endless amounts of energy, Thomas, Mason and Luke Low are enjoying what their Mom calls, “the terrific twos.”
“We have our moments,” Leslie Low said with a laugh. “Health wise though, they’re doing really well. It’s so fun to see them run around and just be active little boys.”
READ MORE: Identical triplets begin fight to battle rare eye cancer
The daily chaos that comes with raising four little boys, (big brother Benson is now four) is a welcome change after what this young family has had to overcome. In March of 2014, doctors diagnosed all three boys with retinoblastoma, an eye cancer most common in young children. Their father first noticed something strange in a photograph.
“A picture is actually one of the best ways to diagnose this cancer because when you take a picture with a flash, eyes should come back with a red reflex. If one comes back a different colour from the other eye that can often mean there’s a problem,” Low said.
The identical triplets spent much of the next several months at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital. The brothers underwent a number of surgeries and procedures, each losing an eye. Mason also required chemotherapy.
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Low says it was a very stressful time.
“When I look back and read journal entries I go, ‘I don’t even know how I did that.’ But as a Mom you know you love your kids so you just do it.”
The family’s story attracted media attention from across the country. Soon people who had never met the Lows were reaching out to ask how they could help.
“We had a really successful fundraiser which was a huge help for us,” Low said. “It was really heartwarming to see that many people who had never met us, who had just heard our story, really wanted to help.”
The triplet have been cancer-free since last fall and are adjusting well to life after their illness.
“They don’t realize how unique it is to have a prosthetic eye because they all have one so they pop it out and try to put each others in. It’s kind of an adventure!”
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