A Unique Child: Eye Cancer - A trick of the light?

Carol Rogers had been Andreas Holm's childminder for two years when she first spotted something wrong with his eye. 'About a week before Andreas's third birthday, I noticed something odd and mentioned it to my husband,' she says.

'A week later I again thought something looked wrong, so I wrote it in my daily diary for Andreas's mum, Maria, to see. When we talked about it, Maria revealed she had also seen something but wasn't sure whether it was just an unusual reflection of the light on his eye.'

After hearing Carol's concerns, Maria took Andreas to his GP, who referred him to hospital. Unfortunately, the appointment was delayed and it was three months before Andreas was seen by an ophthalmologist. From there Andreas was sent immediately to the specialist unit at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer that mainly affects under-fives.

Doctors then delivered the devastating news that Andreas's tumour had grown so large that he would need to have his eye removed to save his life. Just one week later, Andreas underwent the two-hour operation and began his recovery.

Carol continues, 'A couple of weeks after the operation, Andreas was given a temporary artificial eye, which was see-through, so I wanted to prepare the other children for what his new "eye" would look like so they wouldn't be frightened or treat Andreas differently. When Andreas returned, the children were lovely to him, asking him lots of questions about his "special" eye.'

Carol's professional and compassionate attitude to Andreas's illness has been a great help to Andreas's parents. Maria says, 'Carol has been amazing. Thankfully, she also spotted something in his eye, convincing me to get it checked out. She has been there for us through every stage.'

SPREAD THE WORD

Carol has since made it her mission, along with Maria, to help spread the word about this rare cancer, which is diagnosed in only 40-50 children a year. However, there are many different treatments and up to 98 per cent of children diagnosed survive.

Carol has posted information on forums and spread the word among childcare contacts, with help from the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT), a charity supporting families affected by retinoblastoma.

Trust chief executive Joy Felgate says the experience and support of people like Carol are vital. 'Raising awareness of retinoblastoma is a massive task and we are enormously grateful for the tireless help from supporters like Carol, without whom our job would be much more challenging,' she says.

'Retinoblastoma is quite often missed in the early stages, so it is vital that parents and childcare professionals are aware of the symptoms and get their child checked out by their GP. Early diagnosis can save sight and save lives.'

TRAINING

Carol is now trying to get retinoblastoma put on the agenda of sight-awareness courses nationwide. She adds, 'If I had known about this beforehand it may not have changed the outcome for Andreas, but at least I could have been prepared.'

Together with Maria, who also puts up hundreds of posters alerting people to the symptoms of retinoblastoma, the two women are doing their best to make sure they spread the word.

WARNING SIGNS
The six signs of retinoblastoma:

• odd reflection in the pupil

• a squint, where one eye looks in or out

• a red, sore or swollen eye without infection

• a change in the colour of the iris

• an absence of red eye

• a deterioration in sight.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on retinoblastoma and how to get involved in raising awareness, contact the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust on 020 7377 5578, visit www.chect.org.uk or email info@chect.org.uk

Julie Firth is a support worker at the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust