An NFL linebacker and his wife are praising God for their baby daughter's story after being diagnosed with a rare cancer. 

Demario Davis is an American football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL. He and his wife Tamela had their faith put to the test recently. 

Carly-Faith Davis was born in 2020 and shortly after her birth the Davis' noticed something interesting about her one eye. After a doctor's appointment, the newborn was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in the back of the eye called retinoblastoma.

"When I really heard the doctors tell us that it was cancer and what our journey was going to look like, from that moment on there was just this weakening and it went from the top of head to the bottom of my feet and almost as if I was going to pass out," Tamela said in an interview with CBN News.

Shortly after the diagnosis, doctors scheduled surgery to remove Carly-Faith's left eye to keep the disease from spreading. 


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"I was trusting and relying on God a hundred percent and He just really comforted me and gave me peace to really be able to embrace what was happening," says Tamela. 

Demario turned to his Bible for answers in a time that brought much fear and worry. 

"It's a lot like the man who built his house on the rock versus building his house on the sand," says Demario. "When the storms come, the man that built his house on the rock, the house stood. But the one that built his house on sand, it collapsed. And that storm is reflective of the trials that will come in life."

The surgery was a success and Carly-Faith now has a prosthetic eye. 

"It's not if trials are going to come, it's when trials are going to come, and so it's important to build a foundation and build it on rock," says Demario. "And I believe you build that in the Word and through a relationship with God."

The grateful dad is thrilled to have a healthy two-year-old back at home. 

"She's doing amazing now. She's definitely a celebrity in our household.  She was cleared, announced fully cancer-free after that - hasn't had any complications since with that and so she's doing amazing."

The Davis couple has since welcomed another baby to the family, with five children in total. 

"We were like, 'God we don't know how this is going to turn out, but if You take her eye, You're still good. If You take her life, You're still good. And regardless of how all of this, what the end results are, we're going to give You the glory, we're going to give You the praise," Tamela says.