Baby Treated For Cancer After Mother Posted 'Reflective Eye' Photo On Facebook For Advice

Baby Diagnosed With Cancer After Mum Shared Photo Showing 'Reflective Eye'

A mother was concerned about a strange reflection that showed in her five-month-old daughter's eye, so posted a photo to Facebook for some friendly advice.

Shortly after Vicky Ashall, 24, uploaded the photo a friend got in touch to say her own child had the same glare in her eye and was diagnosed with cancer.

Ashall rushed her daughter, Amelia Rose, to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital where she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma.

Ashall said, according to The Metro: "That Facebook post could have literally saved Amelia Rose’s eyesight we’ll never know – I’m just so glad I posted it now."

The 24-year-old said doctors immediately told her Amelia Rose had one large tumour growing behind her right eye and three smaller ones behind her left.

According to the NHS, Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer that affects children younger than five.

It is usually detected and treated early in the UK, which is why over 98% of children with retinoblastoma are successfully treated.

Ashall added: "It was heartbreaking, me and my fiancé just didn’t know what we were going to do, we just knew we had to stay strong for our little girl."

The five-month-old is currently undergoing her third chemotherapy treatment.

Ashall was told 90% of her daughter's tumour in her right eye and one of the three in her left eye was removed after the first session of chemotherapy.

The mother said her daughter is coping well and explained how lucky she felt for catching it early.

Amelia Rose is likely to get her sight back in her left eye, but her mother was told it will not return in her right eye because the retina was detached.

A similar case happened in May 2015 after Eilise Somers noticed that one of her four-month-old daughter Arwen's eyes appeared white when she took a photo of her on her smartphone.

At the time, Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) chief executive, Joy Felgate said: "Retinoblastoma is one of the most devastating illnesses children and families can face.

"Many children have to endure the loss of an eye followed by aggressive bouts of chemotherapy, years of examinations under a general anaesthetic and prosthetic eye care - which, as you can imagine, is particularly traumatic for a toddler."

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