A Cancer Survivor's Poem

My Blue Eyes - A poem by Adelaide Williams

Once I had two eyes,
The colour of them was blue.
They were very pretty,
They were also very new.

But something wasn't right,
Something deadly, something wrong.
It was cancer they told me,
I may not live very long.

We prayed lots and lots,
That there would be a cure.
I had faith in God
For strength to endure.

I did lose my eye
At the end of the day.
But I am happy and alive,
It was a small price to pay.

From: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/north-northeast/adelaide-scrubs-up-as-her-masked-superhero-is-nominated-for-pride-of-australia-medal/news-story/246ac040b121768e82df3cfd20771374?sv=ee03494d0c4c00cd8f591b6cb3014d94

Child Golfer with A Special Handicap

Image Source: http://www.golfdigest.com/story/kyle-lograsso-8-is-still-fight

Kyle Lograsso is a five-year-old who is famous for his golf swing, which resembles the swing of Tiger Woods. Kyle, however, has an additional handicap. He is a survivor of retinoblastoma and lost one eye to cancer. Watch this amazing little genius in action in this YouTube post of a CBS News Blurb.

Early Detection of Eye Cancer in Children

This is a great TV commercial that stresses to parents that cancer may be detected from a child's eye in colour photographs of the child.

Parents often notice that the eye has a white "glow" or "glint" in a child with eye cancer. This is sometimes seen better in the evenings and indoors. Sometimes, a "white reflex" can be seen in flash photographs of a child. Any parent who has noticed this should get the child tested by an ophthalmologist for an eye cancer. There are many reasons for such a "white reflex" from a child's eye, but ruling out an eye cancer in every child is imperative.

The Story of Tacey Raulerson

Cancer took one of Tacey's eyes when she was a baby, and just before she reached school, it took her other eye. There is a brief video which has part of the story of this incredible girl on YouTube which you can all see. Tacey lives in the USA, where they diagnose about 300 children with this cancer every year. In the UK, between 40-50 children are newly diagnosed each year in the UK.
India has an estimated 1500 new children who get Retinoblastoma every year. Many of these are detected late, requiring complicated and expensive treatment regimen and/or the loss of one (or both) eye. Early detection of the tumour can be achieved through raising public awareness about cancer. Iksha Foundation is one of the NGO's working towards this for the country.

Oscar Nominated Movie About A Child with Eye Cancer

Shwaas:

A poor man who lives in an Indian village, is the grandfather of a boy named Parsharam. His son drives a bus for the Government. They find out that Parsharam is unable to see well. They get him to a doctor, who carries out various medical tests and then tells them that the child has eye cancer. The child must undergo surgery or will die. The family get him admitted in hospital where they await the date of the operation - which is very difficult process in India.

This film was nominated for an Oscar. The film was awarded the Golden Lotus Award for Best Film at the National Film Awards, India. It is a moving story about how an old man tried to show his grandson the preciousness and beauty of life in a no win situation such as cancer. It gives a good insight into some of the problems of children with Retinoblastoma in India.

Source: Internet Movies Database (imdb.com)