“Asking the silly question” . . . . saves lives!

“Ten years ago, I told Joey the camera on my phone stinks. It makes Ryder’s eye look funny unless I turn the flash off. So, Joey bought me a Nikon camera and gave it to me as an early Christmas present. The photo on the top is one of the first pictures I took with that camera. What the heck right? Photo after photo looked like this. This was even worse than my cell phone had been.

Ten years ago, I had never even heard of Retinoblastoma, and I had no idea that glow was getting worse because his tumor was getting bigger. I didn’t know there’s a name for that glow.

Leukocoria: An abnormal reflection from the retina of the eye. It appears as a white, opaque, or yellow spot in the pupil of the eye in photos taken WITH the flash.

The number one question I get from people is “Should I say something about the glow to my friend?” My answer is always yes. Like me, they probably have no idea it’s abnormal. I put so many photos of Ryder just like this one on Facebook and no one said a word because people aren’t aware. That flash on your camera essentially acts the same way as a light being shined in your eye at the Dr’s office. Don’t ignore what it is showing you. Although Retinoblastoma is rare, there are several other conditions that can be picked up when Leukocoria is detected. Speak up and help prevent childhood blindness.

Thirty-eight days after that top photo a Dr. handed us the bottom photo. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Ryder had cancer and even with SO many Dr’s appointments no one caught it.

I thank God every day that I didn’t forget to ask what I thought was a silly question…”Why does his eye glow like this in photos?”

Submitted by:

Guest Blogger and Ryder’s Mom

Andrea Temarantz