In January, the story of Primrose Austin captivated hearts everywhere. You may remember it well: The infant, who was adopted from China by American parents in 2016, was born with "piercing" blue eyes — the result of a rare genetic disorder that sadly left her blind. Those striking eyes (and cute-as-a-button face) are what ultimately led her future mother, Eryn Austin, to fall in love with her in the first place, when she came across her photo on Facebook. But recently, doctors informed the little girl's parents that for her to overcome the pain caused by her congenital glaucoma, those piercing blue eyes would have to be removed.
It's believed that Primrose's birth parents were unable to care for her, which is why she was turned over to a local orphanage shortly after birth.
According to Eryn, she and her husband Chris flew to China to adopt Primrose after seeing the infant's photo online in 2014. Once there, they learned that in addition to her untreated congenital glaucoma, she was extremely malnourished and hadn't even learned to sit upright yet.
"We taught her how to swallow liquids, we taught her how to eat food, we taught her how to play, how to be touched, how to be held … all of those things," she recently shared in a video by Caters News Agency.
It was clear right away from that first visit, as well as in the months that followed, that Primrose was the missing link in their family.
"Kids belong in families, that is where they're nurtured," Eryn told Caters. "They do not belong in cribs lining walls."
Little Primrose has come a long way in the last few years, but the chronic pain caused by her condition was something that plagued her.
According to Little Things, once the little girl was brought home with her new parents to Georgia, doctors also diagnosed her with 6p25 deletion syndrome, which is what caused both her eye and skeletal abnormalities, as well as hearing loss, lack of muscle tone, and other health issues.
Additionally, the congenital glaucoma caused pressure to build up behind the eye sockets and retinal detachment to occur in one eye.
The pain all came to a head in September 2018, when Primrose was hospitalized. Finally, doctors advised that removing her left eye would greatly reduce her pain, and just a week after her surgery, it became clear that her right eye would need to be removed as well.
It's now been several months since Primrose's surgery, and by all accounts, she's doing amazingly well.
Just last month, Primrose received painted implants with irises and pupils, and has been doing much better now that she's not in pain.
"We're not concerned about her future," her mom shared in the video for Caters. "I think she's going to be completely independent."
In an essay for CafeMom in January, Eryn opened up about just how much becoming a mother to Primrose felt like it was meant to be.
"Determination and fear go together on this journey, which is perfect, because years before, this became the theme of our life: Act — even when we are afraid," she wrote. "We were committed to do the hard things because they matter more than the comfortable things."
They sure do. And when it comes to doing the hard things, the Austins face it all with bravery and strength. Their message of love and acceptance, as well perseverance when faced with the unknown, is pretty awe-inspiring.
