Nine-year-old Jacob Chapa is a fourth-grade student at UISD’s Salinas Elementary School, and his mother, Juanita Cannon, is a social studies teacher at Ricardo Molina Middle School.

This mother-and-son team is on a mission to help others recognize the warning signs of the rare cancer Jacob had as a baby.

Jacob was diagnosed with unilateral retinoblastoma when he was only 8 months old. Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer that develops in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

Jacob’s story began in August 2017 with what was supposed to be a routine visit to his pediatrician.

Jacob had a cough and cold, and his mom wanted to make sure he was well before she returned to work. During the examination, Laredo pediatrician Dr. Robert Martinez noticed something unusual about the baby’s gaze.

Family members had previously noticed that one of Jacob’s eyes sometimes appeared larger than the other or that he seemed to look slightly away from them. They did not believe it was anything serious.

Martinez referred Jacob to a local eye specialist. At that appointment, the specialist discovered that Jacob had a detached retina and told the family that he needed to be examined by another specialist.

Cannon initially believed the appointment would take months to schedule. Instead, the family received a call telling them to be in Houston the following morning.

“That’s when it hit us—something’s going on,” Cannon said.

The family packed that evening, arranged for someone to care for Cannon’s other children and drove to Houston.

There, a specialist delivered the news no parent expects to hear.

“He tells us, ‘Your child, your baby has a tumor,’” Cannon recalled. “And he said the words that nobody wants to hear. He said, ‘It is fatal.’ Right there, my world kind of shut down.”

Jacob was too young to understand what was happening. For Cannon, it’s a day she will never forget. She said she could not speak or even begin to ask questions.

“We just pretty much fell to our knees and prayed that day,” she said.

Before the family left the office, the specialist connected them with Dr. Amy Schefler, a Houston ocular oncologist. Jacob was examined by Schefler and her team that same day.

Within the same week, he underwent medical imaging, MRIs, sonograms and examinations under anesthesia. Doctors confirmed the retinoblastoma diagnosis and quickly began treatment.

“So, Monday, suspected with the specialist in Laredo; Tuesday, diagnosed in Houston; and then Thursday, he’s getting imaging—everything under anesthesia,” Cannon said. “Then, on Friday morning, they start chemo.”

Jacob received four rounds of intra-arterial chemotherapy. Unlike traditional chemotherapy that circulates throughout the body, his treatment was delivered through a catheter inserted into an artery and directed toward the tumor in his right eye.

Within the first month, doctors brought the tumor under control. Jacob experienced some illness following treatment, but he did not suffer many of the severe side effects often associated with systemic chemotherapy.

The family’s journey, however, was far from over.

Jacob returned to Houston every month for examinations, imaging and MRIs. Because he was a baby and could not remain still or follow instructions during the procedures, the examinations had to be completed under anesthesia.

“Every month that we had to go to get him checked in Houston, it was under anesthesia,” Cannon said. “In the first five years of his life, he had more anesthesia than most adults do in their lifetime.”

As Jacob grew older and the tumor showed no additional growth, the appointments became less frequent—first every few months, then every six to nine months and eventually once a year.

The calcified tumor remains in Jacob’s retina, but it is inactive and has shown no additional growth. According to his family, Jacob is now cancer-free, although he has no vision in his right eye.

“He is a survivor,” Cannon said. “He functions normally. He’s a very smart, active, creative little boy.”

For Jacob, having vision in only one eye feels normal because it is all he has ever known. If he had one wish, however, it would be to see with both eyes.

Jacob does not remember the initial treatments he underwent as a baby. However, he knows his story and understands why sharing it could help another child.

Today, he enjoys drawing Roblox characters. He has thought about becoming a firefighter someday, but is open to other career opportunities. 

When other children ask why his eyes look different, Jacob knows exactly how to answer.

He tells them “it’s not just different eyes. It’s retinoblastoma. That’s why it’s different—the color.”

Jacob has also represented childhood cancer survivors as an ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. He participated in the opening ceremony, led the Pledge of Allegiance and appeared before a large crowd.

Although he was nervous, Jacob said he enjoyed being an ambassador because it gave him an opportunity to help other people.

If he met another child facing cancer, Jacob said he would tell that child, “It’s OK, and I hope it gets better and it goes well.”

His family also wants parents to “Know the glow.”

The glow, medically known as leukocoria, is an unusual white, opaque or yellow reflection that may appear in a child’s pupil, especially in photographs taken with a flash.

The glow can be associated with several eye conditions, but it is also a possible symptom of retinoblastoma.

Cannon said the family did not recognize the warning sign before Jacob’s diagnosis. After learning about it, they looked through his baby pictures and saw the same whitish-yellow glow in his right eye in multiple photographs.

“Once we learned about that, we went back and looked, and definitely they were all there,” she said.

The family encourages parents who notice a glow or anything unusual about their child’s eyes to consult a doctor. Cannon also urges parents to trust their instincts when they believe something may be wrong.

Throughout Jacob’s treatment, the family relied on relatives, friends and community organizations. Cannon said that support helped her manage the repeated trips, medical bills, missed work and time away from Jacob’s five sisters.

“I had a lot of family and friend support—a community, really,” she said. “I never felt like I needed anything, but we did have bills.”

Jacob and his mother are grateful for the assistance they received from organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the Golden Heart Project and Smiles From Heaven.

Smiles From Heaven helped connect the family with a community that understood the emotional effects of childhood cancer. Its activities offer support not only to children, Cannon said, but also to parents who may lose themselves while caring for a sick child.

Cannon recognizes that many families face longer hospital stays, more severe treatment complications and lasting health effects. That knowledge has strengthened her commitment to raising awareness and supporting organizations that help families through cancer.

“We are still very blessed and thankful for the journey that he’s been on,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons why we advocate for childhood cancer awareness—not just in September, but always.”

Jacob also has a message of gratitude for the doctors who treated him.

“I want to say thank you to Dr. Schefler for helping me with the retinoblastoma,” he said.

He is also grateful for the mother who remained beside him through every treatment, examination and trip to Houston.

Asked how much he loves his mother, Jacob stretched his arms as wide as he could.

“This much,” he said.