EDMOND, Okla. -- A routine cleaning at the dentist's office may have ended up saving an Oklahoma girl's life.
According to KFOR, 11-year-old Journee's hygienist, Rachel Stroble, noticed something odd during the girl's last trip to the dentist.
However, she wasn't looking at Journee's pearly whites, she was looking in her eyes.
"She said 'You know, Journee's eyes look yellow,'" Dr. Michael Chandler, Journee's dentist, told KFOR. "She asked me to take a look, I took a look and said that does look abnormal."
Dr. Chandler told the girl's mother, who took her to a doctor. A few days later, she was fighting for her life, and having a grapefruit-size tumor removed.
A website called Journee’s Journey chronicles the days after the dental visit:
Friday she underwent a 9 hour surgery to remove a grapefruit-size tumor. Surgeons performed “Whipple Procedure”, a major operation that removed part of her pancreas, stomach, gall bladder and part of the intestine.
“You’ve got a lot of people who love you, a lot of people that care for you, we wish you well,” said Dr. Chandler. “I’ll be praying for you.”
The website includes a link to donate to the family.
