My son was diagnosed with eye cancer after I noticed something strange in his pupil when he was watching TV
A mother noticed a ‘white glow’ in her son’s pupil as he played with his toys and discovered he had eye cancer – just weeks before Christmas.
Kirstin Smith, 29, a primary school teacher from Shetland, Scotland, noticed a “cloudy spot” in her two-year-old son Kian’s eye while he was playing in front of the TV.
She immediately went to her neighbor, a GP, who told Kirstin to go to the optician to have it checked.
Kirstin then took Kian to an eye clinic at the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary, Scotland, where doctors discovered a growth in his eye.
The toddler was then referred to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and doctors suspected it was retinoblastoma – a rare form of eye cancer that can affect young children.
Kirstin Smith, 29, a primary school teacher from Shetland, Scotland, noticed a ‘cloudy spot’ (pictured right) in her two-year-old son Kian’s eye while he was playing in front of the TV
The diagnosis was confirmed in December 2022 when Kian was transferred to Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital, as this is the nearest hospital that can treat Kian’s cancer.
Kian started chemotherapy three days before Christmas and has since made the 681-mile journey to Birmingham from the Shetlands 16 times for treatment.
Kirstin said: ‘Kian was sitting in the corner of the room playing with his toys, he was looking at the TV and I saw the white glow in his eyes. It was cloudy gray for just a split second and I did a double take and it was gone.
‘His tumor was stage D – it was a large tumor – and if we didn’t catch it when we did, we might not have the same outcome. He is very resilient.
‘He will be disabled due to the damage the tumor has done to his eye, but we are not at the end of our journey yet, so things could change. We don’t know yet what the future will look like.’
After becoming concerned about the white glow in Kian’s eyes, Kirstin wanted to ask her neighbor, who is a GP, for her opinion.
Kirstin said: ‘I knew I could see the cloud. I sent the pictures to my neighbor and she said if I was worried I should go to an optician.
The mother immediately went to her neighbor, a GP, who told Kirstin to go to the optician to have it checked. In the photo, Kian
Kirstin then took Kian (pictured right, with his sister, left) to an eye clinic at the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary, Scotland – where doctors discovered a growth in his eye
The toddler (pictured at hospital) was then referred to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and doctors there suspected it was retinoblastoma – a rare form of eye cancer that can affect young children.
The diagnosis was confirmed in December 2022 when Kian (pictured with his parents) was transferred to Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital as this is the nearest hospital that can treat Kian’s cancer.
‘We were then referred to the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary where they confirmed that Kian had a mass on his eye. They then referred to the Royal Aberdeen Children Hospital, who could not confirm the diagnosis, so they sent us to Birmingham.”
Kian started his first round of chemotherapy on December 22, 2022, and would receive three more.
Kirstin said: ‘As I initially thought it was something sinister I was prepared for the news. It was my initial fear and when I took him to the optician I said I thought it was cancer.
‘There was a part of me that hoped it would be something less serious. We were devastated by the diagnosis, but it was not a shock.”
Kian (pictured) started chemotherapy three days before Christmas and has since made the 681-mile journey to Birmingham from the Shetlands 16 times for treatment
After becoming concerned about the white glow in Kian’s eye (pictured with his sister), Kirstin wanted to ask her neighbor, who is a GP, for her opinion
After a few months of chemotherapy, the tumor shrank and Kian (pictured with his grandmother) began cryotherapy – the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy – to further shrink the tumor
After a few months of chemotherapy, the tumor shrank and Kian began cryotherapy – the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy – to further shrink the tumor.
Kirstin said: ‘The chemo really had an effect on him, it managed to shrink the tumor but it was a very tough job.
‘The great thing about this type of chemo is that it is targeted. He didn’t feel unwell; it was just a hard day and the next day it would be like it never happened. Life was relatively normal between chemo sessions.’
Kian is still undergoing treatment to keep his cancer at bay, but Kirstin says everything is moving in the right direction.
Kirstin said: “He’s a standard two-year-old – you’d never know he’s dealing with this. He has a small character, he just turned two. He is very talkative and is learning to talk.
‘He is a bit insecure about new people, but we don’t know if that is a side effect of all the hospital treatments. You think about his life experience so far compared to his sister or his peers and it feels like he’s really unlucky.
“When we’re away and we’re among the other retinoblastoma families, we’re so lucky compared to them and what they’re dealing with – we’re very grateful.”
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) is urging parents and healthcare professionals to be aware of the most common possible symptoms of eye cancer: a white glow in the eye in a flash photo or in certain lighting, and squinting.
A change in the appearance of the eye or a swollen eye can also be an indication, although often only one sign or symptom is present.
Richard Ashton, CEO of CHECT, said: ‘Retinoblastoma is rare, with around one baby or young child diagnosed every week in the UK.
‘The symptoms can be very subtle and children often look well, making it difficult to diagnose. In just under half of the cases, a child needs to have an eye removed as part of the treatment.’