Influencer Gets Candid About 2-Year-Old Daughter’s Cancer Diagnosis

Published: July 9, 2026

Lucky Blue Smith and Nara Smith — NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 20: (L-R) Lucky Blue Smith and Nara Aziza Smith attend "The Devil Wears Prada 2" New York Premiere on April 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

By Mallory Mattingly

Model and influencer Nara Smith announced her 2-year-old daughter Whimsy’s cancer diagnosis last week, and now she’s getting candid about the hardest parts.

“Cancer has a way of taking things you never realized you’d grieve,” Smith captioned a post as she reflected on her daughter’s journey through cancer. “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.”

The post included a video of Smith and her husband, Lucky Blue Smith, cutting and shaving Whimsy’s hair when it started to fall out, PEOPLE reported.

View this post on Instagram

“Tiny curls on her pillow. Hair caught in my fingers after bath time. Hair loss is one of the first visible reminders that life has changed,” Smith continued.

For Smith, Whimsy loosing her hair has been one of the hardest part of the journey.

“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,” the mom of four wrote. “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 concluded her post with one tidbit of hope for Whimsy: “Today her curls are returning.”

Smith announced Whimsy’s diagnosis on July 1 but said the battle’s been ongoing since 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,” Smith said in a video. “When we took her into our pediatrician, I just remember him going really quiet and calm…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.”

“After a lot of X-rays, ultrasounds and finally a biopsy, they immediately called us and said that she had cancer, told us it had spread and that she needs to come and start chemo treatments immediately,” she added.

While sharing the news wasn’t an easy decision, the Smiths are grateful for “every message, prayer, story of a similar experience and kindness” for their “little warrior girl.”

“To every family or parent walking through something heavy right now, we’re thinking of you too,” the influencer said.