A mum is urging parents to check their Christmas photos for symptoms of a rare childhood cancer after her son needed surgery to remove his eye over the festive period.
Noah Blanks was just four years old when he had the lifesaving operation after months of chemotherapy failed to shrink the tumour in his eye.
The little boy had been diagnosed with retinoblastoma after his dad took a photo and spotted a white glow in his eye.
Now, his parents Laila Gaudry and Ollie Blanks, from Eastbourne, have teamed up with the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust to raise awareness of this rare disease, which mainly affects babies and children under the age of six. Around one child a week is diagnosed in the UK.
‘Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but for us it was the moment we discovered that the battle to save our little boy’s eye had been in vain,’ explains Laila.
It was summer 2017 when Ollie first noticed a strange reflection in Noah’s left eye.
After googling the symptom, he found himself reading about the eye cancer retinoblastoma.
The two main symptoms are a white glow in a child’s eye, seen in photos when a flash is used or in dim lighting, and a squint. Ollie got his phone out and took a number of snaps of Noah, and he and Laila were horrified when one showed the white reflection.
They rushed Noah to A&E and after being referred to specialists he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
‘When the word cancer was first mentioned we looked at each other as we fell apart,’ says Laila.
‘While we waited for Noah’s appointment at the Royal London Hospital, one of two specialist centres for retinoblastoma in the UK, we just kept telling ourselves that as long as it hadn’t spread, we would get through it.’
Doctors explained that Noah had a grade D tumour and that chemotherapy might work, but Noah could still face surgery to remove his eye, known as enucleation, if the tumour didn’t respond to treatment.
A few days later, the family celebrated Noah’s fourth birthday, making it as special as they could before he started his treatment.
‘Noah had six cycles of chemotherapy,’ says Laila. ‘The path was always going to be hard, but life threw some extra challenges at him – he had an allergic reaction to the medication and developed a fever.
‘But as time went on, there were fewer complications and tests showed that the tumour was responding well to treatment.
‘As Christmas approached, we felt the end was in sight. The chemo had done its job, we had left the danger zone for enucleation and it was going to be the best Christmas of our lives, something that would give the kids enough happy memories to counteract all the anxieties and uncertainty of the last few months.
‘Ollie and I went to see the kids’ nativity together and it felt so wonderfully normal as we all cooed and teared up at the children.’
A few days before Christmas Day, the family returned to hospital full of hope, but instead they were told that Noah’s tumour had grown substantially and the best option was enucleation – his eye would have to be removed.
‘After everything Noah had been through, I couldn’t believe it was all for nothing. What was meant to be a bit of good news before Christmas turned into our worst nightmare.’
Noah had the surgery on 27 December 2017. Under advice from the medical team and other parents, the family let him enjoy his Christmas and didn’t tell him until Boxing Day.
‘He was confused about what to expect, but took it very well,’ says Laila.
‘Noah had his temporary prosthetic eye fitted four weeks after his operation. I was truly amazed at how good it looked and how well he coped. At his first check-up post-surgery he was given the all-clear.’
Noah is now six years old and thriving. He’s a typical little boy who loves playing Lego with his big brother Jake, who has supported him throughout his journey.
Last year, the family had a fresh start after they moved to Eastbourne, and Laila and Ollie are now preparing for their wedding next year.
‘Christmas is approaching and we’re really excited,’ says Laila.
‘We’ll spend the day with my family and there are lots of new additions, so it’ll be wonderful to see the “new generation” together.
‘Life is so much better and I hope our story can help other families to know that there really is light at the end of the tunnel.’
‘Christmas time always provides lots of great photo opportunities,’ says Patrick Tonks, chief executive of the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust. ‘We urge all parents to be aware of the most common symptoms of retinoblastoma – the two main signs being a glow in the eye and a squint (lazy eye).’
‘Retinoblastoma is extremely rare so there’s no need for parents to panic, but it’s best to get your child checked out as soon as possible if you have any concerns at all,’ adds Patrick.
‘You can take them to your GP, a local optician or an ophthalmology department.’
MORE: People are sharing stressful Christmas stories to combat the pressure to be perfect
MORE: Should we start asking our friends if they’re in the ‘right headspace’ to chat?
MORE: People reveal why they were disciplined or fired after their work Christmas party
