LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) -
Eight-year-old Maci Fontenot has been through more in her short life so far than some go through in a lifetime. Four years ago, a routine eye test at school led to a routine trip to the eye doctor, which changed the life of she and her family forever.
"They cut my head from here to here," explained Maci, drawing a line down the side of her head. "They had to have a complete craniotomy."
A craniotomy to remove a tumor the size of an eyeball behind her left eye.
"Miracle number one was that this test was given at school, and miracle number two was that we found it when we did," said Nikki Fontenot, Maci's mom.
Chemotherapy and a craniotomy under her belt, Maci wasn't living a normal four year old's life.
"I couldn't really change because I had to stay in a hospital bed," said Maci. "It was really tough but we got through it."
Getting through it like a champ, four years later, it's that story of triumph that Maci and her mom want to share with the world. In September, their book, "You Can't Take My Vision," was published. At a book signing on Monday, she read one of her favorite lines in the book:
"I'm writing this book. You can do anything you put your mind to ... You're also brave and talented," she read.
Maci's mom describes the book as a symbol of hope. Not just telling Maci's story, but providing tips to parents from lessons learned through their journey.
"A child should have an eye screening every year but we don't think about it until we think that they can tell us what's on the paper but that's not the truth," said Nikki. "So they should be having an eye screening every year."
Maci's completely blind in one eye, but she's healthy.
"Sometimes I wonder what it was like to see with two eyes," she said.
With the one that she has and the life ahead of her, she's proving that no one can take her vision.
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