'Twinkle' spotted in the eye of baby boy turns out to be something serious

17 June 2023 , 21:14

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A flash that appeared in Jacob's eye (Image: Danielle Scott)

A mum has told how she spotted a “twinkle” in the eye of her 10-month-old son which turned out to be a rare form of cancer.

Danielle Scott, from South Shields, saw in a photo the strange white flash in the eye of Jacob Tulley and realised that it had to be checked out.

It was later discovered that Jacob had retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer which mostly affects children under the age of three.

After undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, the brave youngster was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for the rest of his treatment.

Now Jacob, five, has been declared cancer free and was “overwhelmed” when he rang the bell according to mum-of-three Danielle, 28.

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Jacob celebrated ringing the bell at a hospital in Birmingham (Danielle Scott)

Years of laser therapy and cryotherapy are finally over, leading to a round of applause from medical staff and tears of joy for Jacob and his loving family, reported ChronicleLive.

Danielle said: "We were not expecting it! We had him down in Birmingham for his six-month check-up and had been taken into a room after his eye test was done.

"His consultant said, 'I think we are ready on the oncology side to discharge him now’. She said, 'He is okay, he is done'.

"It was the most overwhelming experience. He rang the bell and you can see on his face in the video how he is overwhelmed by it. I looked at him and said, 'You have done it!'.

"He asked, 'Do I not have to come back? Are my eye tests done?'

"I said: 'Yes, they're done' and he just broke down in tears. I was crying and we just hugged in total silence just me and him. It was so overwhelming. It was beautiful and such a nice moment. We just cried all day."

For Jacob, it’s time to party with a bouncy castle, a soft play area, and a visit from none other than Spiderman in his hometown of South Shields.

“I can’t believe it is over,” Danielle said. "I feel like a weight has been lifted and I think Jacob feels the same. It's so nice."

She added: "I am so unbelievably proud of him, he is such a brave little boy."

Sophie Brownson