Influencer Nara Smith shares heartbreaking reality of daughter Whimsy’s cancer diagnosis

Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.

Nara Smith has issued an update on her two-year-old daughter Whimsy’s cancer diagnosis in an emotional social media post.

The model and influencer, 24, shared the sad health news on Instagram last week, explaining that she and her husband, Lucky Blue Smith, saw ‘something suspicious’ and so took the tot to their paediatrician.

Nara recalled: “I don't know whether it was my gut telling me something or just a mum's intuition, but the first thing that I felt was she has cancer.”

The parents were told to take Whimsy to the closest children’s hospital, where she had a lot of ‘X-rays, ultrasounds, and finally a biopsy’.

She said: “They immediately called us and said she had cancer, told us it had spread, and that she needs to come and start chemo treatments immediately.”

Now, in an update, the influencer has shared a short video of the family with Whimsy, as they shaved her head because of the chemotherapy treatments, causing it to fall out.

Nara wrote in the caption: “Cancer has a way of taking things you never realized you’d grieve.

“The day I ran my fingers through her hair, strands coating them, I realized I wouldn’t be brushing Whimsy’s hair much longer.

“It’s such a small thing, until it isn’t. Tiny curls on her pillow. Hair caught in my fingers after bath time. Hair loss is one of the first visible reminders that life has changed.”

She emotionally continued: “Watching Whimsy lose hers has been one of the hardest parts of this journey. It wasn’t just hair.

“It was the little curls I tucked behind her ears, the wispy strands that caught the sunlight, and all the ordinary moments I never imagined I’d miss.

“If sharing these pieces of our story helps even one family feel less alone, or encourages one person to learn more about childhood cancer, then this vulnerable part of our lives is worth opening.”

She concluded: “Today her curls are returning,” alongside a heart emoji.

Nara also wrote the word ‘changes’ over the clips, which were accompanied by Noah Kahan’s song ‘Orbiter’.

The model and her husband also share three other children - Rumble Honey, five, Slim Easy, four, and Fawnie Golden, who was born last year.

In her initial post announcing the news, Nara said: “Throughout all of this, I've been on a plethora of forums, social media, also talked to parents and family in the hospital. And all of that combined really brought me a lot of comfort and alleviated the feeling of loneliness for me."

"We wanted to share this to hopefully bring someone else that comfort or even incentivise you to go get something checked out that you've been avoiding.

"Processing this and navigating all of this as a family has been... really hard. A lot of you have probably realised that I've been posting a little less, and this is the reason why.”

She added: "Having found all of this out and navigating this while postpartum, also loving and caring for our other kids at home. Also being in the hospital with Whimsy a lot and balancing work on top of that has been really challenging, and finding that balance is something that I struggle with on a daily basis.

“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 that I can.

“I hope that by sharing this I can bring someone else a little bit of comfort and make you feel less alone in your journey in whatever way that may be."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.