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Content creator and influencer Nara Smith has revealed her two-year-old daughter, Whimsy Lou, was diagnosed with cancer late last year, opening up about the family’s difficult journey in an emotional TikTok video.
While she did not mention the type of cancer, the 23-year-old shared the news on Wednesday, saying she wanted to speak publicly about the experience in the hope of bringing comfort to other families facing similar challenges.
“There is no easy way to say this or talk about any of this but late last year our daughter Whimsy was diagnosed with cancer,” said Smith.
She recalled how her instincts told her something was seriously wrong after noticing something unusual on her daughter.
“When we saw something suspicious on her, we took her to the ER and they didn’t know what to make of it. When we took her to our paediatrician, I remember him going really quiet and calm. My heart dropped in that moment. I don’t know whether it was my gut telling me something or just a mom’s intuition, but the first thing I felt was she has cancer,” she said.
Smith said the paediatrician advised them to immediately take Whimsy Lou to the nearest children’s hospital for further evaluation.
“Lucky got in the car, took her there and after a lot of X-rays, ultrasounds and finally a biopsy they immediately called us and said she has cancer. They told us it had spread and she needed to start chemo treatments immediately,” she said.
The influencer, who is married to fellow model Lucky Blue Smith, said the family’s experience led her to seek support through online communities, social media and conversations with other parents at the hospital.
“Throughout all of this, I’ve been on a plethora of forums and social media and also talked to parents and family in the hospital. All of that combined brought me a lot of comfort and alleviated the feeling of loneliness.”
She said she hopes sharing her family’s story will encourage others to seek medical attention if they notice something concerning.
“We wanted to share this to hopefully bring someone else comfort, or incentivise you to go get something checked out that you’ve been avoiding,” she said.
The couple are parents to four children: Whimsy Lou, Rumble Honey, Slim Easy and their newborn daughter, Fawnie Golden.
Reflecting on the past several months, Smith said balancing motherhood, work and hospital visits while caring for a newborn has been overwhelming.
“A lot of you have probably realised I’ve been posting a little less and this is the reason why. Having found all of this out and navigating it while post-partum, loving and caring for our other kids at home, being in the hospital with Whimsy a lot and balancing work on top of that has been really challenging. Finding balance is something I struggle with on a daily basis,” she said.
“Some days are a little easier, some days are really hard, and all I can do is try my best and show up in all those areas in the best way I can,” she said.
Smith said she hopes her openness will help others feel less isolated during difficult times.
“I hope that by sharing this I can bring someone else a bit of comfort and make you feel less alone in your journey in whatever way that may be.”
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