Latest news with #ChildhoodEyeCancerTrust
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Our son had his eye removed after retinoblastoma diagnosis
When three-year-old Wilfie developed a squint, his parents had no idea of the devastating news they were about to and Richard Wham were told their son had eye cancer and had to choose between putting him through chemotherapy or having his eye removed."When the news was first given, your mind goes to the darkest place," recalls dad Richard. "I was preparing for the worst and we might be saying goodbye."Wilfie has since had surgery, is now cancer-free and loves talking to friends about his "magic eye". It all started over a few months in 2023 when Wilfie's parents noticed his left eye started to lose focus and "wander" at times."I knew immediately something really wasn't right," recalled mum she took Wilfie for an eye examination in south Wales, she said "the optician went really quiet".Wilfie, who is a twin, was rushed to an appointment at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport where Carys was told it was highly likely her son had a rare form of eye cancer called retinoblastoma, which affects about 40 to 50 children in the UK every year.A squint is just one possible symptom, with a white glow in the eye, a red swollen eye or a change in the colour of the iris other possible signs, according to the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT). Within 10 days, specialists at Birmingham Children's Hospital confirmed Wilfie had advanced stage five and Carys took the "very difficult" decision to remove the whole of Wilfie's eye, a process known as enucleation."They couldn't give us any hard evidence that keeping his eye was of any benefit and it carried more risk that the tumour was living on with him for longer and longer," said recalled how doctors told them his son's vision would never improve and any attempt with chemotherapy to shrink the tumour would be to save the eye for cosmetic purposes only. "I still wrestle with it now, the idea that one day he might say to us 'why didn't you try and save my eye?'" admitted believe their son's overall health was the most important factor and felt "grateful" there was a choice to be December 2023, Wilfie underwent surgery and returned home to Caerleon near Newport with his new "magic" artificial eye, overwhelming his parents with his ability to adapt and returning to school after Christmas."He was so resilient and so brave and he came home and he was just like normal Wilfie, just getting on with things," said and Carys believe their son's young age, typical of retinoblastoma cases, made it more difficult to spot the signs and now they want to raise awareness to help other families. "Until your child is telling you they can't see the letters on the blackboard, you wouldn't necessarily think of taking them for an eye test," added Carys."But you should take your child to have an eye test, just like they have hearing tests and weight checks in school."Now 18 months on, Carys plans to run this month's London Marathon to raise money for Childhood Eye Cancer Trust, a charity which has helped during the most difficult period of their lives."I wanted to honour Wilfie's strength and bravery," said Carys who will be cheered on in London by husband Richard and her four children."I wanted to do something positive out of something that was so negative and so horrendous for us as a family."
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wigston: Boy, 2, with rare eye cancer hailed a 'hero'
"Flynn has fought the fight each and every day," says mum Katie of her son, who she describes as her "hero".Now aged two, Flynn, from Wigston in Leicestershire, went through months of chemotherapy and laser therapy to treat a rare type of eye cancer, called retinoblastomaKatie said the treatment was a "long road", but Flynn fought each day and was "an absolute trooper".Flynn has now received an award for his "wonderful courage and resilience" from Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT), which has named him its "CHECT Champion". Retinoblastoma is a cancer that develops in the cells of the retina in the eyes of children, predominantly under six years symptoms include one eye appearing different from the other, a white glow, a squint, an absence of red-eye in a photograph, or a change in eye colour. Katie recalled the time when "something didn't feel right" with Flynn's eye and got it checked."When Flynn was about three months old, we noticed that his left eye wasn't behaving in quite the same way as his right," she said he was referred to the orthoptic eye clinic at Leicester Royal Infirmary and then to Birmingham Children's Hospital, where tests revealed Flynn had tumours in both his underwent treatment at both hospitals to save his life by reducing the size of the said: "Since then it's been a long road, involving 18 months of treatment, which stopped two months ago."Through it all, Flynn has fought the fight each and every day. In fact, he's been an absolute trooper, always putting a smile on everyone's faces despite being the poorly one. "It's as if nothing is going to stop him. He's a hero; there's no other word for it."At the moment he's still being monitored to make sure nothing has changed and the treatment has worked, but the nature of retinoblastoma is that it can flare-up at any time." Because of Flynn's age and relatively limited communication skills, it is unclear how much he can see through his left eye, if anything. However, the tumours in his right eye were around the edge, meaning his sight has not been recognition of his bravery, while battling against the disease, Flynn won CHECT's Champion Ashton, the charity's chief executive, said: "So often, children affected by retinoblastoma face huge disruption, upset and distressing treatment. "We are delighted to recognise the wonderful courage and resilience shown by Flynn throughout his treatment and beyond. "He really is a thoroughly deserving champion. A hero, as his mum says."He urged parents to be aware of the symptoms and to have their child checked if they are supports people affected by retinoblastoma, helping families cope with the diagnosis and funding research.
