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Watching your child take their first steps is meant to be one of the most exciting milestones as a new parent.
But for Natasha and Alex Finney, their elation soon turned to horror after spotting what turned out to be cancer in their 11-month-old.
As AJ walked unaided for the first time, they noticed he had an unusual cloudiness in his right eye.
Alarmed, they took him to see doctors, who rushed through tests and diagnosed him with retinoblastoma.
Due to the size of the infant’s cancer, medics had to remove his eye straight away in a three-hour operation — one day after his first birthday.
AJ, from Bolton, now has one artificial eye following the procedure in December.
Mrs Finney told MailOnline her son is doing ‘amazingly well’ considering everything he has been through.
The teacher, 29, said her son is a ‘happy little boy who is now up on his feet, walking around everywhere and developing a cheeky, contagious personality’.
Watching your child take their first steps is meant to be one of the most exciting milestones as a new parent. But for Natasha and Alex Finney, their elation soon turned to horror after spotting what turned out to be cancer in their 11-month-old. As AJ walked unaided for the first time (pictured), they noticed he had an unusual cloudiness in his right eye
Doctors confirmed AJ had retinoblastoma, a tumour in the retina that can be seen through the pupil. Pictured: AJ on November 25, the day he was first taken to his GP
Mrs Finney said AJ’s seven-year-old sister, Alice (pictured with AJ and her parents), has been ‘amazing’ at adapting to having a partially-sighted sibling
Speaking of the day they were first alerted to AJ’s retinoblastoma, Mrs Finney said: ‘While changing AJ’s nappy, he cried a lot.
‘When he got up, taking his first steps in the process, we were over the moon.
‘But then we noticed a cloudiness in his eye and decided to get him into the doctors that day.’
AJ was referred to a specialist eye hospital by his doctor, where he had vision tests, pressure readings and ultrasound scans.
The consultant thought it could be retinoblastoma, a tumour in the retina that can be seen through the pupil.
Mrs Finney and her partner, a commercial agent, were told not to Google the cancer but they decided they needed to know more about their son’s condition.
She said: ‘The standout word was “cancer”. Our hearts sunk lower than we knew was possible, we were devastated.’
Typical retinoblastoma symptoms include a squint, a change in iris colour, a red or inflamed eye and poor vision.
They can also include an unusual white reflection in the pupil, sometimes referred to as a cat’s eye.
When the tumour forms, light reflects off the cancer’s surface, causing the child’s dilated pupil to appear white in flash photos or dim light.
Retinoblastoma happens when retina eye cells fail to stop growing during a baby’s development, forming a tumour.
Between 40 and 50 cases of retinoblastoma are diagnosed in the UK every year, equating to one in 15,000 to 20,000 newborns.
If the tumour is small, laser and freezing treatments will be carried out to destroy it. If it is larger, youngsters may undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Some children may suffer sight loss or need to have their eye removed.
Mrs Finney said: ‘We weren’t aware of retinoblastoma before AJ was diagnosed, so we wouldn’t have known any typical signs or symptoms of it.
‘Although AJ had a visible squint quite early on, we weren’t concerned as Alex and his mum also have a slight squint, so we assumed it was hereditary.
‘Since AJ’s diagnosis, we have discovered that a squint is the second most common sign of retinoblastoma’.
The week after his tests in late November, the family travelled to the specialist retinoblastoma ward at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital to have AJ’s eyes examined under anaesthetic, where the retinoblastoma diagnosis was confirmed.
Mrs Finney said: ‘We weren’t really given any other option other than removal of his right eye, purely due to the size of AJ’s tumour.
‘Alex and I were devastated, and it took us a while to digest what we were being told.’
AJ had his right eye removed the day after his first birthday in a three-hour procedure.
His mother said it ‘felt like the longest three hours’ of their lives but it was a ‘huge relief’ when surgeons said the operation had been a success.
Medics were able to remove all of his cancer, meaning he does not require regular medication or treatment.
She said: ‘When we collected him from recovery, it was bittersweet as we were so excited to have him back with us, but equally it was hard to see him all bandaged up.’
Due to the size of the infant’s tumour, medics had to remove his eye straight away in a three-hour operation — one day after his first birthday. AJ now has one artificial eye, while his healthy left eye is monitored for tumours. But fortunately none have so far been spotted
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital confirmed AJ had retinoblastoma. Mrs Finney said: ‘We weren’t really given any other option other than removal of his right eye, purely due to the size of AJ’s tumour. Alex and I were devastated, and it took us a while to digest what we were being told’
Medics were able to remove all of AJ’s cancer, meaning he does not require regular medication or treatment. She said: ‘When we collected him from recovery, it was bittersweet as we were so excited to have him back with us, but equally it was hard to see him all bandaged up’
The one-year-old stayed in hospital for five days, with his parents only allowed to be with him for one hour each day due to Covid restrictions.
Mrs Finney said it was ‘really difficult to accept’ that her son would go through life partially sighted.
She said: ‘The first thing that people would notice was “his beautiful eyes” and although I knew that he would always be beautiful to our family, I became conscious that it wouldn’t be the first thing people noticed about him anymore.
‘However, even now, people will comment on AJ’s beautiful eyes as well as his cheeky smile. As long as we know that AJ is happy, we are happy too.’
She said that strangers have been left ‘amazed’ when they have been told one of his eyes is artificial and one little girl called it his ‘magic eye’.
Mrs Finney said her family feels ‘extremely lucky’ that AJ’s left eye is healthy at the moment but they remain ‘extremely vigilant for any signs of changes’.
She said: ‘Having vision in one eye only hasn’t seemed to affect him too much, but he bumps into door frames from time to time.
‘He is very much a lefty now – choosing to do almost every one-handed task with his left hand but as this is the side where he has vision, we can understand that and are constantly tweaking our parenting to suit AJ’s needs, such as sitting him on our right knee to do peekaboo on his left hand side.’
Mrs Finney said it was ‘really difficult to accept’ that her son would go through life partially sighted. She said: ‘The first thing that people would notice was “his beautiful eyes” and although I knew that he would always be beautiful to our family, I became conscious that it wouldn’t be the first thing people noticed about him anymore. ‘However, even now, people will comment on AJ’s beautiful eyes as well as his cheeky smile. As long as we know that AJ is happy, we are happy too.’ Pictured: AJ and his mother celebrating his first birthday
Mrs Finney said her family feels ‘extremely lucky’ that AJ’s left eye is healthy at the moment but they remain ‘extremely vigilant for any signs of changes’. Pictured: AJ and his father in January
Mrs Finney said: ‘As a one-year-old, AJ is a happy little boy who is now up on his feet, walking around everywhere and developing a cheeky, contagious personality day-by-day.
‘He loves to clap hands and make a mess of the front room by emptying his ball pit, launching three balls across the room at a time – all 300 of them.’
She said: ‘For myself and Alex, it’s been difficult to comprehend what we’ve been through, partly because it has all happened so fast so we’ve had new information to digest quite regularly throughout the last few months.’
AJ’s seven-year-old sister Alice has been ‘amazing’ at adapting to having a partially-sighted sibling and , Mrs Finney said.
‘AJ’s sister, Alice (7) has been amazing at just adapting to having a partially sighted sibling and understanding that he requires a lot of care and attention – we’re extremely proud of her!
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) is urging parents to be on the lookout for the cancer.
Patrick Tonks, chief executive of CHECT said: ‘Symptoms can be quite subtle, and children often seem well in themselves which can make it hard to diagnose.
‘We are extremely grateful that in AJ’s case, his symptoms were recognised, and an urgent referral was made so that he could receive treatment.’
In a message to other parents, Mrs Finney said: ‘If anyone is worried that their child has retinoblastoma, please go to your GP as soon as possible but don’t panic.
‘There are so many different scenarios when it comes to retinoblastoma and the treatment that AJ has received is completely different to that of other retinoblastoma warriors that we are now in contact with.
‘The retinoblastoma community is strong and there is always someone there to chat to whenever you’re feeling lonely, worried or anxious’.
