Little Hollie Robinson-Mellor, who turns two in July, has been diagnosed with retinoblastoma – a rare type of eye cancer in young children which affects the retina at the back of the eye
A mum has told how she ‘knew’ something was wrong with her daughter after a photograph captured a worrying sign.
Hollie Robinson-Mellor, who will be two in July, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer in children that affects the retina. Her mum, Colette Robinson-Mellor, 35, along with her husband Kev and their son Ted, are still coming to terms with what has happened – and she’s described the very moment she realised something was wrong. Colette noticed something amiss with Hollie’s eye alignment, but didn’t suspect a serious issue until Ted’s birthday last year.
Colette said: «I spotted it on my son’s birthday – August 22 last year. People were taking pictures with the flash on. As it flashed, I saw that her right eye had reflected the light and the pupil gave it a light glow.
«I thought it was unusual. As the flash went off again, I couldn’t see it. Then at nap time later, I had the light on and could see through her pupil. It had almost turned to glass.»
Later that month at an eye clinic, Colette was told her daughter had retinoblastoma, and she was referred for further treatment. From then on, specialists were «battling to save her eye», and the mum explained: «The retina detached inside her eye. She lost her vision at some point. She had a couple rounds of chemotherapy. Then we moved on to some injections to stop fluid in her eye. She had a break in between to try and get the fluid to go gown.»
Sadly, Hollie’s optic nerve became compromised, and she has now lost her sight in her right eye. Though it has come as a massive shock to the family, Colette said her daughter has coped well.
Colette, from St Helens, Merseyside, told the ECHO: «It was absolutely horrendous. It was like a bomb was just dropped on us. We weren’t expecting it. It’s a really rare cancer – only 44 children were diagnosed with it last year.
«Hollie lost her eye and has just been fitted with a temporary prosthetic. She has been amazing through it. The process has affected her eating and sleeping.
«She’s had separation anxiety from being away from us but she has bounced back and coped well. She’s quite used to it all. It took its toll a lot more than us. Ted has been amazing with Hollie throughout. He’s been a brilliant big brother to her. He has been the best medicine for our Hollie.»
Colette is now raising money for The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) through a JustGiving page to thank them for their support. She said: «They’ve been paying for us to stay in hotels close to Holly for her treatment. We wanted to raise the money earlier this month because it coincided with world retinal blastoma week.
«We wanted to try and raise some funds and raise awareness. The earlier it is spotted, the better it is spotted at saving the eye and the vision.
«It’s really important to raise awareness and spot the signs, like an eye looking like it’s bulging, a turn in the eye or the iris changing colour. But for a long time, Hollie didn’t show any symptoms.
«I noticed a turn in her eye, but thought she’d grow out of it. I wish I’d got it checked or spoken to someone.»
