A little girl with cancer who melted hearts zipping around in her homemade wheelchair is now in remission, but her family still has many health challenges to overcome.
“Every day she grows older, we learn new things too,” Eva’s dad, Brad Moore, said in Edmonton Tuesday. “It’s going to hit us in waves again. It’s been a roller-coaster.
“We’re starting to get a real hold on what it takes.”
READ MORE: Baby’s homemade wheelchair makes the impossible possible
At the age of one year, Eva Moore had already completed eight months of chemotherapy for a Stage 4 neuroblastoma tumour in her chest and spine.
She was too small for a regular wheelchair, so her parents made one out of a Bumbo seat and a cutting board.
Watch: An Edmonton baby is inspiring everyone around her thanks to a homemade wheelchair. Su-Ling Goh explains why.
Eva’s cancer is in remission but she still has significant health challenges. The tumour severed her spine so her legs are paralyzed. She also has scoliosis and wears braces to straighten her spine and feet.
“There’s a lot of obstacles that we just didn’t imagine would happen in our life,” her mom, Kim Moore, said. “I’m glad we didn’t know about them so we can take them on one by one.”
Through it all, her parents are doing their best to help her keep up with other toddlers.
“Even though it takes away our sleep, it takes away our strength some days, we wake up the next day fighting 10 times harder for her,” Kim said.
Now, at 21 months, Eva’s using a bigger wheelchair and she’s almost ready for an adapted, hand-propelled bicycle, donated by a U.S. company.
“We cried when she rolled down the sidewalk just like a normal child,” Kim said. “That’s all we’re fighting for.”
The battle has taken a toll on Eva’s parents, both emotionally and financially. Much of the little girl’s equipment isn’t covered and both mom and dad have been unable to work.
“We’ll never be the same people,” Brad said. “We’ll never, ever be the same people we were before cancer.”
Friends are organizing a fundraiser for the family on May 12. To find out more, visit the group’s Facebook page here.
Watch: Eva, her mom and Val from the Kids with Cancer Society joined Global News Morning to explain how a cancer diagnosis left the one-year-old as a paraplegic.