14 September 2023 , 00:56
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A mum has shared her agonising ordeal after discovering a "cloudiness” in her daughter's eye while she ate her dinner – which turned out to be a rare form of cancer.
Danielle Prior, 30, from Surrey, lives with her daughter, 18-month-old Evie, born in February 2022, who she shares with her partner. Earlier this year, when the mum was feeding her toddler a meal, she noticed something unusual – a strange “white ring” in the child’s eye.
After a quick Google search, Danielle rang her GP and within an hour, Evie received an appointment for a red reflect test to discover whether the eye was healthy and was later referred to an ophthalmologist.
At just 11 months old, the child underwent exploratory surgery under general anaesthetic which confirmed a Grade D retinoblastoma that consumed three-quarters of her eye. "[When I got the news], it broke me, I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to block everything out," Danielle told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk.
"I wasn't really eating or sleeping and I was suffering from anxiety. Before Evie was diagnosed we kept thinking 'maybe we're wrong', that it could be benign or just cataracts. When I was given new news, I went into a deep black hole until I could find out about treatments.”
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She also praised the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (Jam Press/Danielle Prior)Since her initial diagnosis, Evie has undergone six rounds of intra-arterial chemotherapy, which is administered directly into the back of the eye. Tragically, the toddler would become stable but then relapse soon after. Her distraught parents were given two choices: continue with treatment in the hope that it would eventually work or remove the eye.
Hoping to save her daughter’s vision, Danielle opted for the former and was also relieved as doctors confirmed the retinoblastoma was not genetic – meaning chances of the same cancer spreading to Evie’s other eye were slim to none.
She said: "[As a parent], you feel like you're always on edge in case something comes back. We're in a limbo stage now and we see it as a ticking time bomb, but it's just so hard when you don't want to make the wrong decision.
"This treatment has got a good success rate in other countries and it's also salvaged vision sometimes, so we're just trying to help her. We know what it's like growing up [with a visible difference] – people can be horrible, especially if you lose a body part that is visually so obvious, so we want to try."
The toddler is now in remission but has regular checks at Royal London Hospital every six weeks. Danielle said: "We're going to have to get her checked until she's an adult; the doctors told me at a certain point it won't be a problem anymore, basically when the eyes stop growing it should remain stable.
The toddler is now in remission (Jam Press/Danielle Prior)“But for now she’s still got the tumour in her eye because they can't do an operation safely where they can actually remove the tumour without the chance of it spreading to the brain.”
Danielle has also found herself being met with yet another struggle with her little girl suffering from anxiety due to the frequent medical visits. The mum said: "She's scared and nervous, this [going to appointments and dealing with treatment] has really affected her.
"She just doesn't like strangers and is even a bit iffy around other children as well, it's horrible to see. We're just hoping to get her confidence back up. They are a really good team at Royal London; I can’t fault them, they are lovely but it’s a work in progress.
"We bought little doctor-themed things like a Peppa Pig stethoscope and pretend to play doctors and nurses at home to try to get her used to the fact that they're not there to hurt her. And I try to take her to soft plays to be around other children because she’s not used to it.”
Danielle has also created an Instagram account (@evie_cancerjourney ) to reach out to fellow parents and create a community to help others. She also praises the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust for its “fantastic” assistance.
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She added: “That's the only place I can get comfort because they can relate to what you're going through. No one else really understands it. There's also family support Facebook groups that I've joined as well, it can be comforting to see other stories that seem positive and helps you you see the light at the end of the tunnel. We're trying to take each day as it comes and remain positive.”