A few weeks after lifestyle influencer Nara Smith revealed her daughter’s private cancer battle, the mom of four is sharing that Whimsy is in remission.
The content creator, well known for making elaborate meals from scratch while wearing glamorous ensembles, told her following of 12.6 million on TikTok and 4.9 million on Instagram on Friday that she and her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, have spent the last eight months processing their 2-year-old daughter’s health battle.
The parents debated whether they should share such a private part of their lives and decided to wait until Whimsy had finished her treatments and doctors had a better grasp on the likely outcome.
“Now that she’s finally in remission, it felt like I could find the words to share,” Nara Smith said. “The whole point of me sharing our experience was to shed light on what so many families go through and battle privately. Going through chemo treatments opened my eyes to how expensive medical care is, and what a toll it takes on families specifically.”
“Lucky and I have been trying to return to everyday life and taking it day by day,” she continued. “I don’t know whether life will ever feel normal again, but we’re trying to navigate this next chapter the best that we can.”
Smith, 24, said in an Instagram video earlier this month that Whimsy was diagnosed with cancer late last year.
“When we saw something suspicious on her, we took her to the ER, and they didn’t quite know what to make of it,” she said in the video. “So when we took her into our pediatrician, I just remember him going really quiet and calm and 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 that I felt was she has cancer.”
The content creator said her daughter underwent numerous X-rays, ultrasounds and a biopsy before the hospital team confirmed the cancer diagnosis. Smith did not specify the type of cancer but said that the illness had spread and that Whimsy needed chemotherapy.
In recent weeks, Smith has shared heartwrenching glimpses into the family’s battle, including photos of Whimsy’s curls being shaved and her bald head bedazzled with gems.
“Cancer has a way of taking things you never realized you’d grieve,” she wrote alongside a video of the parents shaving Whimsy’s head. “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.
“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,” Smith wrote. “Today her curls are returning.”
In Friday’s video, Smith said that she’s been researching charities and foundations to support and included links to GoFundMe pages for children who are battling cancer.
Nara and Lucky Blue Smith, 28, married in 2020 and share four children: Whimsy Lou, eldest daughter Rumble Honey, son Slim Easy, and infant Fawnie Golden. Lucky Blue also shares a daughter with his ex-girlfriend, social media star Stormi Bree.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
