A mother has warned other parents after spotting cancer in her son after seeing an unusual glow in his eyes.
Megan Brimson, 28, noticed her five-year-old son Arlo's right eye was glowing white while he was playing in the sun, and took him to hospital for a checkup.
He had a routine eye exam that revealed a large mass in his eye.
Megan and her partner Richard, 29, a digital designer, were referred to the Royal London Hospital in London and Arlo was diagnosed with retinoblastoma – a rare type of eye cancer that affects young children.
Arlo had an enucleation – where the eye is removed – and underwent four rounds of chemotherapy.
But the boy “recovered well” and is awaiting an eye prosthesis.
Megan, a singer from the Isle of Wight, said: “Arlo is doing really well, we are incredibly proud of him.
“He is cleaning the eye himself, we took the impression of the ocular prosthesis and he stayed awake for the post-operative consultation.
“He’s back at school full time and he’s loving it.
“His big brother is his best friend and a good big brother, always making sure Arlo is comfortable and doing well at school.”
Arlo was playing in direct sunlight when Megan noticed a white glow in his eyes in August 2023.
Megan said: “I noticed something and the next day my sister stayed with him for the day.
“She called me and said that his eye was completely white while he was playing in his cousin's room, directly in the sunlight.
“I was pregnant at the time and had my health visitor that week, so I thought I would ask her for advice.
“She said to take him straight to the hospital.”
Arlo was then taken to St Mary's Hospital in Newport, Isle of Wight, for a routine eye exam and ultrasound.
Megan said: “At this point we knew something was wrong.
“The doctor told us there was a very large mass in the back of Arlo's eye, and then called another doctor from surgery to take a look at the photos.
“This doctor was from Moorfields Eye Hospital, he did not confirm to us that it was cancer, but he referred us to the Royal London Hospital.”
Eye cancer symptoms
According to the NHS
Shadows, flashes of light, or winding lines in your vision
Blurry vision
A dark spot in your eye that's getting bigger
Partial or total loss of vision
Bulging of one eye
A lump on the eyelid or eye that is increasing in size
Eye irritation that doesn't go away
Pain in or around the eye, although this is rare
Megan, Richard and Arlo traveled from the Isle of Wight to London for the assessment, where Arlo was placed under general anaesthetic.
Doctors examined both his eyes and confirmed he had retinoblastoma in August 2023 and would need an operation to remove his right eye.
Megan said: “Being 36 weeks pregnant at the time, I was extremely emotional.
“I called my mom first and told her and then she said she would tell the rest of the immediate family for us.
“My husband also made calls. He was my rock through it all.”
Arlo had his eye removed in August 2023, followed by four rounds of chemotherapy.
Richard said: “We were told he would have to stay overnight.
“He underwent surgery shortly after coming in and didn’t really trust the doctors and nurses – it took us a while to get him used to the environment.
“When we took him out of the theater that was when it became horrible and stressful.”
“You can do all the prep work in the world with a child, but the shock is always there.
“The first night was difficult, he woke up every half hour and was distressed.”
Since the operation, Arlo has been in remission and waiting to receive an ocular prosthetic.
Megan said Arlo is thriving and has started studying.
She said: “Arlo is a very lively, loud, loving and funny little boy.
“He's always playing pranks, especially on me, and his dad is the best climbing park for Arlo.
“He loves music and kitchen dance parties and is obsessed with Pokémon.
“In fact, Pokémon Go and his Nintendo Switch were his lifeline when he was on commitments.
“He slept a lot during appointments, as he told us that 'time passes faster when you sleep'.”
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) states that typical signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow that may only appear in certain lights or squinting, as well as a change in the appearance of the eye or swollen eye, although often only one sign or symptom is present. gift.
Richard Ashton, Chief Executive of CHECT, said: “Retinoblastoma is rare, with around one baby or child being diagnosed in the UK each week.
“Symptoms can be quite subtle, and children often seem fine about themselves, which can make diagnosis difficult. In just under half of all cases, a child must have an eye removed as part of treatment.”
