A mother who lost an eye to a rare cancer has spoken of her devastation after her baby daughter was diagnosed with the same condition. Kalli McAllister, 33, from Brecon, Powys, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma at seven months old, and her daughter Autumn was found to have the disease at just eight weeks.
Retinoblastoma affects the retina and is diagnosed in only about 60 children in the UK each year. It is most common in under-fives, and if a parent has had it, the risk is higher. While the cancer is successfully treated in 95% of cases, 40% of those affected lose an eye.
Ms McAllister lost her right eye to the disease after her parents noticed a silvery cloud in it. Radiotherapy saved her other eye. She said: 'I was devastated to hear my baby had cancer. But everyone was so brilliant, it was the not knowing that was the scariest part.'
Autumn is responding well to laser treatment, and Ms McAllister, who is pregnant, said her baby has a 50% chance of developing the cancer. Her eight-year-old son Rafael has been given the all clear. Ms McAllister and Autumn are donating stem cells to researchers at Newcastle University to help save the sight of others.
Dr Rubina Ahmed, from eye research charity Fight For Sight, which is funding the trial, urged parents to be vigilant: 'Very young children won't be able to tell you if they've got a problem or they're having an issue with their eyes so it is really important for parents to be vigilant.'
