Cape Town, South Africa
Some parents notice a glow in a photograph. Others notice an eye wandering or a subtle change that simply doesn’t feel right. For Jess and Shaun Oliver, it was a combination of parental intuition, and an unexpected lesson from their beloved dog, that ultimately saved their daughter Bo’s life.
Before Bo was born, the Olivers’ dog, Bentley, had been diagnosed with a congenital cataract. The disease presented in Bentley with a cloudy appearance in his eye. So when Bo was just a few months old, Jess began noticing similarities.
As Bo’s vision developed, Jess became increasingly concerned. She noticed that one eye was noticeably larger than the other, and it often wandered instead of tracking normally. The glow wasn’t obvious in the beginning, and Bo’s eye continued to track normally during pediatric appointments. Until one day Jess was alone with her daughter, she noticed that something just wasn’t right.
At Bo’s six-month pediatric appointment in June 2023, Jess and Shaun shared their worries and speculations. Although their pediatrician was not immediately convinced that there was a serious problem, he listened to the family’s concerns and referred Bo to an ophthalmologist. The family then went on to face an anxious eight-week wait for the appointment.
When they finally arrived at the ophthalmologist’s office, they were hoping for a routine eye examination.Instead, their world changed forever. What they expected to be a routine eye examination became the moment they learned that Bo had retinoblastoma. Having never heard of the disease before, Shaun immediately searched for information about it while they were still in the examination room, struggling to comprehend what the diagnosis meant for their daughter and their family.
Within days, eight-month-old Bo was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer affecting both eyes. From that moment forward, events unfolded rapidly. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the ophthalmologist treated the diagnosis as a medical emergency, immediately arranging ultrasounds, contacting specialists, and scheduling appointments at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town.
By the end of that same day, the family’s care pathway was already in place. Jess and Shaun found themselves moving from one appointment to the next, relying on the medical team to guide them through each step. Looking back, Jess remains deeply grateful for how quickly everything was coordinated, allowing them to focus entirely on being there for Bo during those overwhelming first days.
Over the following week, Bo underwent extensive testing, including scans of her brain, optic nerves, and spine, along with blood work and bone marrow examinations to determine whether the cancer had spread. To her family’s immense relief, the disease had remained confined to her eyes. Doctors found a large Group E tumor in her right eye and a smaller Group B tumor in her left. After careful consultation with the medical team, the heartbreaking but necessary decision was made to remove Bo’s right eye to save her life. Remarkably, only seven days had passed since Jess and Shaun had first heard the word retinoblastoma.
Although the thought of their baby losing an eye was initially overwhelming, the family soon came to understand that the tumor had already destroyed the vision in Bo’s right eye and that enucleation offered her the best chance for survival. Her left eye responded well to chemotherapy, and today the tumors are dormant.
Bo ultimately underwent sixteen rounds of chemotherapy and adapted to life with an ocular prosthesis with remarkable resilience. Now a lively toddler, she fills her days with singing, dancing, and boundless energy. Her joyful spirit and determined personality have become a daily reminder of how far she has come and of the hope that can follow even the most frightening diagnosis.
Throughout treatment, Jess and Shaun found comfort in connecting with other retinoblastoma families, both in South Africa and around the world. Through hospital visits, online support groups, and social media, they discovered that although retinoblastoma is rare, no family walks the journey alone. Furthermore, they connected with another KnowTheGlow family and got to learn and create a relationship with Lyanna and her family.
The experience also gave Jess and Shaun a profound appreciation for the challenges faced by many families across Africa, particularly those who must travel long distances for specialized care or overcome significant barriers to treatment. It strengthened their commitment to raising awareness, knowing that retinoblastoma is a disease children are born with and that early recognition can make the difference between life and death, and in many cases, sight and blindness.
Witnessing the courage of children undergoing cancer treatment left a lasting impression on the family and reinforced their determination to help others. Today, Jess and Shaun are passionate advocates for early detection, sharing Bo’s story in the hope that other parents will trust their instincts and seek answers if something about their child’s eyes does not seem right. They believe that if their family’s experience helps even one child receive an earlier diagnosis, then sharing their journey has been worthwhile.
Today, Bo continues to thrive. She loves to dance and sing, and with her vibrant personality shining through, she is already looking forward to the day she can choose her very own glitter prosthetic eye.
