An Aussie mum has revealed the tiny detail in a photo of her young daughter that led to a devastating diagnosis.
A Sydney-based mum has revealed the tiny, unsuspecting detail in a picture of her six-month-old that led to a deadly diagnosis.
Adele Sargant was glancing back over the photo she had just taken of her daughter, Mya, when she spotted a haunting white glow obscuring the infant’s right pupil – in stark contrast to the blue pupil on her left eye.
“I never thought it would be anything sinister,” Ms Sargant told 7 News.
Unfortunately, though, it was: The glow was the product of a 13mm tumour growing at the back of Mya’s retina, just centimetres from her brain.
“Our eyes normally have a red ring around them from the flash of a camera. But if you have a tumour, it blocks the flash, causing a white glow,” Ms Sargant said.
“Parents should always look out for a white glow in photos.”
A Sydney-based mum has revealed the tiny, unsuspecting detail in a picture of her six-month-old that led to a deadly diagnosis.
Adele Sargant was glancing back over the photo she had just taken of her daughter, Mya, when she spotted a haunting white glow obscuring the infant’s right pupil – in stark contrast to the blue pupil on her left eye.
“I never thought it would be anything sinister,” Ms Sargant told 7 News.
Unfortunately, though, it was: The glow was the product of a 13mm tumour growing at the back of Mya’s retina, just centimetres from her brain.
“Our eyes normally have a red ring around them from the flash of a camera. But if you have a tumour, it blocks the flash, causing a white glow,” Ms Sargant said.
“Parents should always look out for a white glow in photos.”
Adele Sargant spotted a haunting white glow obscuring the infant’s right pupil. Picture: Adele Sargant/7 News
Mya was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer in the eye. Picture: Adele Sargant/7 News
The mum mentioned it during a scheduled pediatrician’s appointment, where the doctor referred her to a specialist.
Two months later, that specialist took one look at Ms Sargant’s daughter and knew her prognosis – retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer in the eye that typically affects infants and young children under three years of age.
“I just cried and everything went black,” the mum said.
Four days later, eight-month-old Mya began chemotherapy.
“Doctors were open with us from the very beginning,” Ms Sargant said.
“They wanted to do everything they could, but Mya always had the potential to lose her eye.”
‘Parents should be on the lookout for crooked eyes, bulging eyes or a white glow in photos.’ Picture: Adele Sargant/7 News
At just three years old, Mya’s right eyeball was removed. Picture: Adele Sargant/7 News
While at first, routine check-ups showed that Mya’s tumours were shrinking because of the treatment, six months later the family were told the cancerous cells were spreading through her eye.
It was at this point that Ms Sargant and her husband were told the eye couldn’t be saved, and at just three years old, Mya’s right eyeball was removed.
She was given an eye patch while specialists worked to create an artificial eye for her, but didn’t let it stop her from being a normal preschooler.
“There was one time at daycare when a kid was just staring at her,” Ms Sargant said.
“She turned to him and said, ‘Why don’t you just ask?’ She was only four.”
Now in Year 5, Ms Sargant said her daughter is confident about talking about her health issues. Picture: Adele Sargant/7 News
Months later, Mya was fitted with her first prosthetic eyeball, and after a four-year battle she was declared cancer-free.
Now in Year 5 at school, Ms Sargant said her daughter is confident in sharing her brush with cancer with those who ask, but wishes people would actually talk to her about it, rather than stare from a distance.
The family is sharing her story in a bid to raise awareness for the warning signs of retinoblastoma.
“Parents should be on the lookout for crooked eyes, bulging eyes or a white glow in photos,” Ms Sargant said.