Child diagnosed with cancer after dad spots reflection in his eye
A mum has revealed how her son's cancer was detected "by chance" after his dad spotted an unusual "reflection" in his left eye.
Sarah Cooper, 40, and her husband, Ross, 44, from Warrington, Cheshire, were sitting at the dining table with their two children, in November 2023, when Ross noticed a mirror-like reflection in their three-year-old son, Thomas', eye. "We were sat down for a meal and just by chance Thomas sat in the chair where I would usually sit and I sat opposite him," Ross, a software engineer explains. "I noticed a crescent-shaped reflection and I instantly thought it was odd."
Even though Thomas didn't have any other symptoms, a family friend had recently been diagnosed with eye cancer, so his worried parents took some pictures of their son's eye and sent them to an optician."I got a message back straight away saying they would have a look ASAP," Sarah, a customer service manager, explains. "An hour later we got a call to say the optician was coming in and we were asked if we could get there."
After examining Thomas the optician noticed a white mass in his eye and referred him to Birmingham Children's Hospital for an appointment the following day. There, his parents were given the "devastating" news that their son had been diagnosed with stage D retinoblastoma - a type of eye cancer where the tumour has spread throughout the retina and eyeball.
"Even if you know deep down that it is cancer, when you get told the news it breaks you," Sarah explains. "Although we had our suspicions, nothing really prepared us - we felt numb and overwhelmed. We also felt scared and angry, particularly when we began to discuss Thomas’ treatment plan. They talk you through the different treatment options and give you a choice but you sit there thinking 'this isn't a choice'."
The treatment process has been gruelling, with Thomas immediately undergoing a lumber puncture and bone marrow extraction - procedures that involve getting a sample for testing. The following week he started on four rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a further three rounds of chemotherapy, inserted directly into his eye, before starting on cryotherapy.
"Treatment started mid-November last year and Thomas had his central line inserted on Ross’ birthday," his mum explains. "Christmas was around the corner, but it felt like a burden rather than something to celebrate. Before Thomas’ diagnosis, we arranged to spend the festive period with my family, staying in converted barns. The medical team encouraged us to go, if Thomas was well enough, and ensured we had a referral for the local oncology department in case of emergency. As difficult as it was for us as parents, it was important to us that Thomas and his sister, Evelyn, had as near-to-normal a Christmas as possible."
Thomas is now undergoing laser therapy - to kill the cancer cells - and doctors are trying to determine if he will need further treatment.
Throughout his entire cancer journey and the treatment he has had to undergo Thomas' parents say that he has been both "resilient" and "inspiring". "Thomas hasn’t had an easy time since his diagnosis and his treatment isn’t over yet, but he has overcome many challenges, and he continues to smile his perfect cheeky smile," Ross says. "He is still attending preschool and is hitting all milestones."
At the moment Thomas' vision has been impaired only slightly and his parents are hopeful that the patching therapy that he’s currently undergoing will help to improve this.
Symptoms of retinoblastoma
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) says that typical signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow, which may only appear in certain lights, or a squint, as well as a change in the appearance of the eye or a swollen eye, although often only one sign or symptom is present.
Richard Ashton, chief executive of CHECT adds: “Retinoblastoma is rare, with around one baby or young child being diagnosed in the UK each week. Symptoms can be quite subtle, and children often seem well in themselves which can make it hard to recognise that anything is wrong."
Ashton says in just under half of all cases, a child must have an eye removed as part of their treatment.
"We are grateful that in Thomas’ case, his symptoms were recognised so that he could receive treatment," Ashton continues. "If you are worried that a child you know may have retinoblastoma, please get them seen by a GP or optician ASAP. Contact the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust support team at support@chect.org.uk and they will provide you with information to take along to your appointment."
Read more about children's health and wellness:
Kate Winslet helps girl with rare eye condition tick off her 'visual bucket list' (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
The unusual sign that lead to my daughter’s brain tumour diagnosis (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
Parents warned over Rapunzel syndrome signs after girl's hairball filled stomach (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
