UK Woman Discovers Baby's Rare Eye Cancer Using Phone Flash; Read The Full Story

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New Delhi: A woman named Sarah Hedges from London noticed something unusual about her infant’s son’s eye. She claims to have detected her infant son’s rare cancer through the flash on her phone’s camera. Sara Hedges, support worker from Kent, found herself in the midst of an ordinary evening in November 2022 while she was cooking dinner.

Suddenly, Sarah noticed something strange, a bright white glow coming from her son's eye. As reported by the New York Post, she said the strange glow was like the reflection in a cat's eye. She then took pictures with her phone's flash on, trying to see it again. ()

At first, Ms. Hedges, who is 40 years old, couldn't see the white glow again and thought it might have been because of the lighting. But she couldn't shake off the feeling of doubt, so she tried moving her son, Thomas, to different rooms with different lighting. Eventually, she saw the glow again. ()

Afterward, Ms. Hedges quickly searched on Google for more information. The results suggested that her son could have cancer. She took more pictures and then went to the doctor, who sent her to Medway Hospital for more tests.

The three-month-old baby was diagnosed with retinoblastoma which is a rare and aggressive type of eye cancer that mostly affects babies and young kids, as per the report. Ms. Hedges remembered, "The doctor called us back into his room to discuss the results. I was in the bathroom. When I came out, he was waiting for me. I knew then it wasn't good news - no doctor waits for someone outside the toilet, do they?"

Ms. Hedges asked the doctor if it was cancer before he said anything, and he confirmed that it was not good news.

Thomas was sent to the Royal London Hospital where he underwent six rounds of chemotherapy starting in November 2022. He faced sepsis during the treatment but completed his last round of chemotherapy in April 2023. Thankfully, he was declared free of cancer in May.

Sarah Hedges mentioned that Thomas is doing much better now. She describes him as "cheeky little boy" who enjoys playing rough and tumble with his older brother.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), retinoblastoma is a rare kind of eye cancer that mostly affects children under three years old. It can affect one or both eyes, targeting the back part of the eye known as the retina. Common signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow in the eye, especially visible in certain lights, or a squint. Other signs may include changes in how the eye looks or a swollen eye, though often only one sign is noticeable.