Written by Doug Ware - KUTV.com Slideshow: Jazz vs. WarriorsDan RasconReporting(KUTV) Derek Fisher may have made a triumphant return to the basketball court on Wednesday night to help the Utah Jazz take a 2-games-to-none lead over the Golden State Warriors – but his daughter is just beginning to fight a battle against a deadly cancer.Fisher did not play in Monday’s game against Golden State, citing a “family issue.” Wednesday, he arrived at the arena in the game’s third quarter and finished the game with five points – including a three-pointer late in the game to help send the contest into overtime.The reason he was late is because he had just flown back from New York City, where his daughter Tatum had undergone emergency surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in her eye.Tatum, just 10 months old, has a condition known as Retinoblastoma – a rare cancer that grows in young children as their eye develops. Although by general standards it is a rare affliction, it happens to be the most common cancer in children. One in 15,000 children will be afflicted with the condition.The Fisher family suspected that something was wrong when they noticed the girl's left eye looked different from her right eye.After Wednesday’s game, Fisher said he has ridden an emotional roller coaster since he learned of his daughter’s diagnosis on May 2.“It is very, very serious. My daughter’s life is in jeopardy,” he said. “The only reason I’m saying this now is because there are kids out there suffering from this disease, and people can’t really identify it.I want people to take their kids to the ophthalmologist, make sure they get their eyes checked because we could have lost my little girl if we waited any longer.”Retinoblastoma is a genetic disorder that affects the retina between the eye and the brain. Doctors say that catching this type of cancer early is critical to survival, because as the child grows so does the tumor.Unfortunately, children with Retinoblastoma typically suffer from some degree of vision loss. In fact, it is often necessary for doctors to remove an eye to terminate the tumor."The possibility of having her lose her eye was just gut-wrenching," Fisher said.There are several factors that will determine how much vision children will lose, like the type of treatment and the tumor’s location.Tatum will be closely monitored over the next four weeks and she will then return to New York City for more tests and an updated diagnosis. However, doctors are confident that they caught the tumor early enough.A 10-year NBA veteran, and owner of three championship rings, Fisher says he now realizes that basketball is not the most important thing in his life."As important as it is... it's not really that important.""We could have lost my little girl if we waited any longer.” - Derek FisherCLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE A VIDEOhttp://kutv.com/local/local_story_130183134.html
