Early cancer test

After losing her eye to retinoblastoma, Kalli McAllister made sure her daughter was tested as a baby to spot warning signs of tumours, says AMY PACKER

AT just seven months old, Kalli McAllister was too young to remember losing her eye to cancer, but she will never forget the moment, 32 years later, when she discovered her infant daughter Autumn was carrying the same faulty gene which causes the disease.

“It was such an emotional day,” Kalli recalls. “I was probably a bit naïve as my son, Raphael, who is now eight, hadn’t inherited retinoblastoma.

“Even though I knew Autumn had about a 50 per cent chance of her blood tests coming back positive, I still wasn’t prepared for the news when it came.

“The chance of a child carrying that gene going on to develop tumours is extremely high, so from that moment I knew she was probably going to need treatment.”

Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer which is most common in children under five.

Approximately one child every week in the UK is diagnosed with the disease and while over 95 per cent of cases can be successfully treated, 40 per cent of children will lose an eye.

Early detection is key to preventing loss of sight, but for Kalli, who has always lived in Brecon, Powys, no one realised there was anything wrong until one of her pupils became cloudy. Her mother took her to the GP and within days she was at London’s St Bart’s hospital, where the eye was removed and she began a course of radiotherapy.

“They found tumours in both eyes, but caught them early enough in the second one to treat them successfully,” says the 33-year-old.

“It’s a childhood condition so, as you get older, the chances of something growing becomes less and less. You always have to be vigilant though – radiotherapy An unusual white reflection in the pupil – this may occur in photos where only the healthy eye appears red from the flash. Poor vision – a child may express that they cannot focus on faces or objects. They may not be able to see as well as they used to A red or inflamed eye Change in the colour of the iris Squint kills tumours, but it can also make them happen.”

Kalli is very matter of fact about her own experience, saying, “It was just part of life and I never really thought about it” and feels that having been through it made it easier for her and partner Andy, 37, to deal with their daughter’s diagnosis.

“I’ve had to have an eye removed and it does affect you, but I have a great life,” she says.

Autumn, who turned one last week, started having her eyes examined every three weeks at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, so as soon as tumours appeared in January the specialists were able to start treatment.

“The medics were using a speculum to hold her eyes open so they could search Autumn’s retinas really closely, so they found the tumours before there were outward signs,” says Kalli.

“While the check-ups were difficult to watch, I am so grateful. The alternative is she has no treatment and she would probably die from the cancer.”

Current treatment options for retinoblastoma include cryotherapy, which freezes small tumours; photocoagulation in