A 3-year-old Chicago girl known as the “Dainty Warrior” underwent successful eye surgery Thursday, the latest fight in the young girl's battle with cancer.
After failed chemotherapy, doctors in Philadelphia removed Ania Moriarty's left eye to help her deal with retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer that affects 300 children annually. Ania's mother, Erica Moriarty, said the surgery went well and the cancerous eye was removed.
There is still some concern about Ania's optic nerve, Moriarty said, and whether she might need more chemotherapy.
"I thought by this point we'd be nearing the end of the journey, but at this point, we're not really sure where we're going," Moriarty said earlier this month. "It's been fun to paint in the meantime."
Ania, called the Dainty Warrior by her parents, first took up painting when a newborn cousin became sick, and she didn't put down her brushes.
Her paintings have become an inspirational hit on the Internet, where a page has been set up to showcase her art. The proceeds are being used to pay for some of the bills for her travel and care.
Requests for Ania's paintings have doubled in the last two weeks and a local art store has offered to frame them free of charge.
