By chance, a friend spotted a glow in Darcey's right eye which led to a cancer diagnosis Children's cancer campaigners want a section of the personal child health record - or 'little red book' - rewritten to alert new parents to the dangers of an unusual form of eye cancer.
Retinoblastoma, which affects the retina of children aged under five, can result in the eye being removed if there is any delay in treating it.Spotting the presence of a tumour is key - and sometimes all it takes is a photograph.
The most common sign of retinoblastoma is a white glow in the pupil of the eye, which can look like a 'cat's eye' in a photograph, especially when there is a 'red eye' look in the other eye.
The 'glow' is caused by the light reflecting off the tumour at the back of the baby's eye.
Saving sight Ali Fryer, mother of Darcey, has the vigilance of a friend to thank for her daughter's diagnosis in February when she was six months old.
"An ex piano pupil of mine saw a tiny glow in Darcey's right eye and suggested I take her to the doctor. I took her there the next morning and our GP sent us straight to eye casualty. It was confirmed that afternoon."
Later, in an effort to thank Ruthie for what she did, Ali asked her to be Darcey's godmother.
Ali had never heard of the condition before and she and her husband had no idea what the future would hold for their daughter. It was a confusing and distressing time.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
End Quote Ali Fryer Darcey's motherHad the tumour been half a degree bigger, her eye would have been removed...”
Chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital followed and Darcey has regular examinations under anaesthetic at the Royal London Hospital to check on her progress.
"Had the tumour been half a degree bigger at diagnosis, her eye would have been removed immediately. "At the moment there's a chance that six months of chemo might save it."
One in 20,000 Darcey has around a 50% chance of keeping her right eye. The danger is that a tumour could develop in her other eye too - but this is very rare.
Meanwhile, the chemotherapy treatment is shrinking the tumour and Darcey is coping well with the few side-effects.
Continued
No comments:
Post a Comment