Saved my precious girl’s sight
which a laser destroys cancerous cells; chemotherapy; radiotherapy or, in more advanced cases, surgical removal of the eye.
SO far, Autumn has only needed laser therapy and is responding well to treatment. “In the beginning we weren’t sure how things were going to play out,” says Kalli.
“But things are looking very positive so we have been able to relax a little. When we go to hospital we feel very lucky as Autumn is responding well and her case was caught so early.
“All the other children we have encountered are like me, in that their parents didn’t know in advance or weren’t aware of the signs to look for, so the tumours progressed. Many have lost sight in one eye or need chemotherapy.”
The family’s gratitude has inspired Kalli to donate her own and Autumn’s blood to a project funded by the UK’s leading eye research charity, Fight for Sight.
Pioneering stem cell research being carried out at Newcastle University aims to discover more about which retinal cells are affected by the cancer. They hope this will allow them to better predict whose sight could be saved, as well as increasing the success of eye injections during chemotherapy so that the therapy targets every affected cell.
“This research won’t necessarily help us, but it will help other children,” says Kalli.
“I’m having another baby in April and we don’t yet know if he or she will inherit the gene.
“We are grateful there are people smarter than us who can help.” For more information or to donate visit fightforsight.org.uk