Toddler diagnosed with retinoblastoma had ‘white ring’ in eye

A UK mom is sharing how spotting a “white ring” in her toddler’s eye earlier this year led to a rare cancer diagnosis.

When Danielle Prior, 30, was feeding her daughter, Evie, she noticed there was a “cloudiness” and “white ring” in her eye.

She hopped on Google to do a quick search and decided to call Evie’s doctor, who referred her to an ophthalmologist.

After exploratory surgery, doctors diagnosed Evie with Grade D retinoblastoma, which was consuming three-quarters of the baby’s eye. She was only 11 months old.

“Before Evie was diagnosed, we kept thinking, ‘Maybe we’re wrong,’ that it could be benign or just cataracts,” Prior told Jam Press.

Retinoblastoma is a tumor of the eye, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It typically presents in children younger than 6.

The tumor starts in the back of the eye, also known as the retina.

A Grade D diagnosis typically means the tumor has spread “throughout the retina and the eyeball,” but not to the lens, per Johns Hopkins.

After Evie’s initial diagnosis, she underwent six rounds of intra-arterial chemotherapy, which is administered directly into the back of the eye.

Unfortunately, the chemotherapy seemed to work only for a short time, as the toddler’s condition would become stable, but then she would relapse.

Now, her parents have two choices: Continue with the treatment in the hopes it will eventually work, or remove the eye entirely.

They have chosen the former — at least for now.

“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,” Prior told Jam Press.

“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.”

Evie’s retinoblastoma is not genetic, doctors have confirmed, which means there is no chance it will spread to her other eye.

She still goes for check-ups every six weeks to make sure nothing has changed with her condition.

“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,” Prior said.

“But for now she’s still got the tumor in her eye because they can’t do an operation safely where they can actually remove the tumor without the chance of it spreading to the brain.”

Now, in addition to keeping her daughter healthy, Prior is also trying to get Evie’s spirits up, as the experience has been very frightening for her.

The 18-month-old has a bit of an aversion to strangers as a result, her mom described, and is nervous around other children, which Prior says is “horrible” to witness.

“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,” Prior said.

And, in an attempt to connect with other parents and the cancer community, she has shared Evie’s journey on Instagram.

“That’s the only place I can get comfort because they can relate to what you’re going through,” she confessed.

She has also joined Facebook groups for support, explaining that some of the stories have been quite uplifting.

“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 see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Prior said. “We’re trying to take each day as it comes and remain positive.”