Toddler's life saved after mum spots small detail in seemingly normal photo

A mum says a snap of her little boy having fun at nursery ended up saving his life after the camera flash revealed a rare disease lurking in his eye.

Laura Davies, 39, said her husband Tom, 39, first spotted a strange cloudiness in their two-year-old son Sidney’s left eye when light hit it in a certain way. At the time, Laura turned to Google but only found information about cataracts and made a mental note to “keep tabs” on it.

But weeks later, Sidney’s nursery in Mold, Flintshire, captured a photo of him playing in the sensory room and the flash showed his left eye glowing white compared to his right.

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That innocent snap led to a GP appointment, a trip to Specsavers and an urgent referral to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where an ultrasound confirmed every parent’s worst nightmare.

On May 19, doctors diagnosed Sidney with retinoblastoma - a rare and aggressive eye cancer that mostly affects babies and young children.

Just days later, the brave tot underwent surgery to remove the eye in order to save his life. Laura said: “His nursery saved his life by taking that photo.

“He was basically sat in his high chair opposite the French doors in our kitchen and my husband was like, ‘his eye doesn’t look right.’ It basically looked cloudy.

“It was literally just when he was looking to the left. I’ve got to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. Then his nursery took a photo of him in the sensory room and that’s when it showed his eye white.

“It was almost like it was reflecting the light. It’s really hard to describe – it was like his eye wasn’t there, like a mirror.”

Sidney had his operation on May 27 and, to his parents’ huge relief, doctors confirmed on June 11 that he didn’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer that usually affects children under five. The NHS says it can occur in one or both eyes and affects the back of the eye (the retina).

It can often be treated successfully if caught early, and a tell-tale sign can be a white glow in the pupil that shows up in photos. “I burst out crying [when he got the all clear],” Laura admitted. “It was such a relief.”

Sidney now has a temporary plastic shell called a conformer fitted in his eye socket, but he is set to have a prosthetic eye fitted in July.

Doctors also discovered his retina was detached and said they weren’t sure how long he’d been unable to see from his left eye. Despite this, Laura says her little boy has amazed them with his resilience.

“He coped with it so well and I think the boys gave me strength as well. It was so scary seeing him go for the operations. I think we went into mum and dad mode - you kind of just get through it. Afterwards, when we found out he didn’t need chemotherapy, it all hit me.

“I was obviously upset that he needed to have his eye removed. All the thoughts run through your head – how they are going to cope in school, and kids can be horrible.

“But I was also looking at it and thinking, ‘I just want it out,’ because you could literally see it. In terms of the effects on him, it’s been quite minimal because he’d already dealt with it himself - not being able to see out of that eye.

“We didn’t even notice he couldn’t see. People have said when they see him on the school run that he’s got a new lease of life. I don’t know whether it was bothering him before, whether it was blurry. We’ll never really know.”

Tom is now planning a mammoth fundraising challenge to thank Birmingham Children’s Hospital. He will climb up and down Moel Famau - the highest hill in the Clwydian Range - 12 times in 12 hours with family and friends, covering around 40 miles in total.

Laura and their two children plan to join him for the final summit. Kelly Gibson, ophthalmic director at Specsavers Broughton Park, said:

“We’re incredibly grateful that Laura brought Sidney to see us after his nursery raised concerns. It’s reassuring to know I was able to ensure he received the urgent care he needed.

“Stories like this are a powerful reminder of how important it is to attend an eye examination if you ever notice a change or feel something isn’t quite right. Acting early can make all the difference.”

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