Baby girl diagnosed with deadly eye cancer after her gran spots strange white glow in this photo
Harley Shevill had her right eye removed to save her life - as it emerged most parents don't realise a squint is a sign of the disease
AT just ten months old little Harley Shevill had to have her right eye removed, to save her life.
The tot was diagnosed with cancer in both her eyes - after her gran spotted a tell-tale sign after seeing a similar story on the news.
The only sign something was wrong was a white glow in Harley's eyes in photos - when the flash had gone off - and a squint.
Her mum Coral Baxter, 25, from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, said: “When Harley was about six months old we noticed a white reflection in her eyes in certain lighting, but we never really thought anything of it.
"Then she developed a turn in her eye so we took her to get checked out but were told there was nothing to worry about.
“I googled her symptoms and some information about retinoblastoma came up but I thought it couldn’t be anything that serious as she was so healthy and well.”
A few weeks later, when Harley’s squint hadn’t gone, Coral made another appointment at the GP but cancelled it because she thought she was being paranoid.
Then her mum, Harley's gran, was watching the news on TV about a little boy who had been diagnosed and she called Coral.
Coral said: “As soon as I saw it, I made another appointment.
"This time the GP said he would refer us and it would take six weeks.
"But we pushed for her to be seen sooner and we managed to get an appointment at the eye department of the local hospital that day.
“They told us it could be cancer and referred us the Royal London Hospital.
"A week later we were in London being given the news we had dreaded - Harley had retinoblastoma.”
Just weeks later, Harley had her right eye removed to save her life.
That was last March, and since then Harley has undergone six rounds of chemotherapy, five operations, four sessions of laser treatment and three blood transfusions.
It comes as experts reveal two in three parents are unaware a squint is a common sign of the deadly eye cancer.
One child a week is diagnosed with retinoblastoma – an aggressive and fast-growing cancer.
I googled her symptoms and some information about retinoblastoma came up but I thought it couldn’t be anything that serious as she was so healthy and well
Coral Baxter. Harley's mum
It affects babies and children aged under six.
But research found only 35 per of mums and dads knew a squint was a tell-tale sign.
And half had never even heard of the potential killer.
Campaigners said parents should visit their GP if they have any concerns with their child’s sight.
Patrick Tonks, chief executive of the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust, said: “Around one child a week is diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the UK, or 50 a year, so it’s very rare and there is no reason for parents to be alarmed.
“In most cases a squint is completely harmless.
“However we urge parents to have their child seen by a healthcare professional such as a GP or optician if they have a squint – or if they have any other concerns about their child’s eyes – just to rule out anything serious.”
The charity carried out a poll of more than 1,000 parents to mark World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week.
A squint is where the eyes point in different directions.
It is the second most common symptom of retinoblastoma, after a white glow in a child’s eye, often picked up when taking photos.
More than nine in ten kids diagnosed with the disease will survive.
A RARE EYE CANCER THAT AFFECTS KIDS
Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer, that typically affects kids under the age of five.
Between 40 to 50 kids in the UK will be diagnosed each year.
And while distressing, more than nine in 10 patients will be cured.
The cancer can affect one or both eyes.
What causes the disease?
In some cases a child is born with a mutation in the retinoblastoma gene, they inherited from one of their parents.
In other cases this genetic mutation can happen in the early stages of development in the womb.
This gene is known as the RB1 gene, and most with a mutation of RB1 will be diagnosed with the disease.
Around four in 10 cases of the disease are inherited.
In the remaining 60 per cent of cases, experts do not know what causes the disease.
What are the symptoms?
Most kids with the disease will seem well.
Two common signs that parents first notice are:
- the pupil looks odd
- a squint
The pupil may appear white, like a cat's eye that is reflecting light.
The child may also have problems with their vision.
In other cases the eye may be red and inflamed.
How is the disease treated?
Smaller tumours can be treated using laser therapy, cryotherapy (freezing treatment) or thermotherapy (heat treatment) to destroy the tumour.
Larger ones will need surgery, chemo and radiotherapy, or a combination of the treatments.
But half will lose an eye in order to stop the cancer spreading.
It is a very fast growing cancer, so early diagnosis is vital to save a child’s eyes, sight and life.
Harley, who celebrated her second birthday in April is now doing well. She has just started walking, and loves singing and dancing to musicals.
MORE ON CANCER
Coral added: “I have made Harley a scrapbook and a list of all the treatments she has been through so I can show her when she is older what she has survived and how brave she is.”
Another toddler, Rose Lucking-Elhitmi, was just six months old when she was diagnosed with the same cancer, after her granddad spotted the strange white glow after taking her photo.
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