Diagnosis: Retinoblastoma
When my son, Ammiel was just three months old, I noticed that there was a transparent white film on his right pupil. Around the same time, I noticed a glow in his eye in the sunlight when he was outside of our house. I also noticed this glow when we took pictures of him in the evening or at night with a flash. We went to many hospitals to find out what was causing these issues. At the first hospital, the doctor said Ammiel had Retinoblastoma (RB). I did not know what Retinoblastoma was so I did a lot of research and I found out that it is a very rare eye CANCER found in young children. We went to another doctor and he diagnosed Ammiel with RB as well. He referred us to ITRMC SF la union, another hospital. There they did a lot of tests – ultrasound, dilation etc. Finally, the doctor told us Ammiel’s right eye would need to be enucleated and that the left eye will need a lot of treatment. Late that night, they called us saying that they were going to refer us to PHILIPPINE GENERAL HOSPITAL in Manila. It was during the Covid epidemic so it was really hard to find transportation to Manila. Once we arrived there, we met with many good and kind doctors. Here we met Dr. Mercado, one of the best retinal doctors for patients with RB.
As a mother, it is really hard to accept what your son is going through at such a very young age. I would always pray to God because it gave me so much hope.
To all mothers out there please be patient, be strong and have faith in our Lord. Our children are a blessing!
Here is our Gofundme account. I hope you can help my son in any way to help save his left eye. Thank you and God bless!
Update:
KTG is happy to provide an update on Brave Ammiel from the Philippines. We’ve been following his journey for several years and his determined mother, Wena, continues to find pathways to care for her amazing son. Ammiel’s family is still in need of support for his journey which now includes a new procedure to secure the implant in the socket of the eye that was enucleated due to Retinoblastoma. We look forward to sharing more news once his procedure is complete! Best to you little Ammiel. For more information on Ammiel here is the link to his gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-eye-vision-for-brave-ammiel.
