Popular influencer and model Nara Smith is speaking out about her daughter’s cancer journey.
She said she was overwhelmed with emotion after her 2-year-old daughter, Whimsy Lou, completed cancer treatment and rang the bell marking the end of her care. Smith, 24, shared the moment during an appearance Wednesday, July 29, on the Call Her Daddy podcast, saying Whimsy went into remission shortly after her 2nd birthday.
“Right after her birthday, she was in remission,” Smith said. “We finished her last treatment, we rang the bell. It was very emotional.”
Smith and her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, announced earlier this month that their daughter had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of childhood cancer. The couple waited to share details publicly until Whimsy had completed treatment.
Smith, who has built a large following through lifestyle and family content, said she spent months navigating how much of her family’s life to share publicly while trying to protect her daughter’s privacy.
Smith said the decision to keep the diagnosis private came from wanting to protect her daughter during an especially difficult time.
“I always came back to the fact, like, ‘I don’t want to share it. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want her out there,’” Smith said on the podcast.
She said she worried someone might record the family during hospital visits and share the footage online before they were ready to discuss what was happening.
Whimsy’s cancer diagnosis
Smith said the family first became concerned after her mother-in-law noticed something unusual about Whimsy following a family photo shoot.
The couple initially took Whimsy to an emergency room, but doctors were unsure what was causing the issue. Later, after bringing her to the pediatrician, Smith said the doctor’s reaction immediately worried her.
“He went quiet and very calm and collected, and in that moment, my heart just dropped,” Smith recalled.
After further testing at a children’s hospital, including scans and a biopsy, the family received the diagnosis.
“They were like, ‘We’re so sorry. She has cancer. You guys need to start treatment immediately,’” Smith said.
Smith previously revealed that Whimsy’s cancer had spread and required immediate treatment. She did not disclose the specific type or stage of cancer.
Family navigated months of treatment
Smith said Whimsy’s treatment required frequent hospital stays, with the toddler sometimes spending five days in the hospital every 16 days, depending on her blood counts.
Lucky Blue Smith handled many of the overnight hospital stays while Nara cared for their other children: Rumble Honey, 5, Slim Easy, 4, and Fawnie Golden, 9 months.
“It was really, really hard, and it was a really tough experience,” Smith said. “Every day, you would wake up and not quite know what the day was going to bring.”
She said watching her daughter go through chemotherapy, including losing her hair and experiencing nausea, was difficult for both parents. The couple relied on each other throughout the process.
“When I had a hard day with it, he picked me up. When he had a hard day, I picked him up,” Smith said.
Why Nara Smith shared her daughter’s story
Although Smith initially feared sharing the diagnosis publicly, she said support from other parents and families helped her feel less alone.
She said she found comfort through hospital conversations, online communities and hearing stories from other families facing similar situations.
“The more I kind of went through that, I realized that I find a lot of comfort in knowing that I’m not alone,” Smith said, explaining that hearing from other families helped her decide to share Whimsy’s journey.
Smith said she ultimately decided to share Whimsy’s journey in hopes it could help others.
“Maybe if I use my platform to make even just one person feel less alone, I can do that,” she said.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT.