As today is McHappy Day, Discover Weyburn is again sharing the story of Paislee, a young girl who has received support from the Ronald McDonald House.

In October we shared Paislee's story, which you can read below:

It was a simple action Alecia Gettel performed almost everyday.

As a mother, she was careful to leave the flash off when taking pictures and videos of her baby girl.

"You think of those things as a new mom," she said. "You're just like, I'll leave the flash off and won't blind her because it hurts our eyes, let alone a brand new baby's."

But, just one video on her cellphone changed the Gettel family's life forever.

* * *

When Paislee was around four months old, Alecia caught her daughter acting adorable and wanted to capture the moment on video. The flash came on but, Alecia continued to film.

When the flash of a camera hits the retina of a person's eye, typically the reflection will appear red.

The retina of the eye helps us to see and is made up of nerve cells which are sensitive to light. The red-eye reflection typically seen in photographs indicates a healthy, blood-rich retina.

Paislee's left eye reflected red, however, her right eye showed a white-coloured glow.

Alecia thought back to a television program she previously watched where a mother saw an abnormal glow in her child's eye after taking photographs. The glow turned out to be a sign of Retinoblastoma - or cancer of the retina.

Alecia immediately made a doctor's appointment for the next day, where her family doctor in Whitewood, Sask., encouraged them to see a specialist.

On July 22, Paislee saw a couple of doctors, underwent a few tests and diagnosed with a malignant tumour.

Alecia recalls being a loss of words.

"At the time when someone's telling you that, you're like, 'What?'" she said. "So, I just went into the hallway and had a good cry."

The Gettel family was immediately referred to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ont.

* * *

The months of July and August of 2015 were stressful for the Gettel family.

Alecia, her husband Ryan, their 8-year-old son Jacob and their young daughter Paislee travelled many times to Toronto.

"(The doctors) are trying their best and you're trying to hold it together and it's just the hardest thing you will ever have to go through," said Alecia.

Paislee now has a team of around 20 doctors, nurses, social workers and gene specialists who have taken care of her along this journey.

"Being there for Paislee, you don't even think about it, it's just something you have to do," Alecia said.

Paislee's right eye was enucleated and she now has a prosthetic one in place.

"You do what you have to do for your child, because whatever makes it easier for them, that's just what you do, and any good parent will totally get where I'm coming from," said the 28-year-old mother.

Another tumour was found in Paislee's left eye during a later appointment. The family has continued with appointments in Toronto every six to eight weeks, however, Alecia said there hasn't been a cancer concern for Paislee since September, 2015.

With a new children's hospital in the works in Saskatoon, Sask., Alecia said the trips will become more affordable for the family.

* * *

Presently, Alecia said Paislee is doing wonderful and loving her new winter boots.

Paislee is fortunate doctors caught the tumor early, as the one-and-a-half-year-old hasn't had to undergo chemo like many children the Gettel family has met at the Sick Kids Hospital.

Paislee does have a blind spot in her peripheral vision but, according to Alecia, her young brain will learn to cover it.

Paislee's parents are unsure where the cancer came from, as DNA testing showed both Alecia and Ryan do not carry the gene mutation.

The young mother stresses that all parents should get their child's eyes tested, starting at the age of six months old.

"(Paislee) can go get a license, she can play sports with one eye, she can do everything that me and you can do with two eyes, she can do with one, because we went early," she said.

"I can't fathom the idea of not taking a preventative measure to protect your child as a parent."

According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO), more than 40 per cent of Saskatchewan parents do not take their children for in for comprehensive eye exams. This is almost double the amount compared to our neighbouring provinces of Manitoba (17 per cent) and Alberta (12 per cent).

The lack of awareness is what concerns parents like Alecia.

"We only have two eyes, and I know people don't think that way, but it's true," she said. "What would you do without those two little unimportant things to you if you're not going to the eye doctor?"

The CAO reported 85 per cent of Saskatchewan parents are unaware that vision problems can cause speech difficulties and almost 80 per cent are unaware that vision problems can lead to developmental delays.

In Saskatchewan, anyone under the age of 18 is fully covered for annual eye exams through our provincial health coverage. As well, any Saskatchewan resident diagnosed with diabetes is covered by the provincial government for an annual eye examination.