Cancer symptoms - THIS photo helped a dad discover his son’s illness
CANCER symptoms can’t often be spotted in a photograph, but this dad spotted his son’s potentially fatal illness thanks to this snap.
This photo of baby Jaxson helped dad, Oliver Scrivens, discover his son’s cancer
Fourteen-month-old Jaxson’s dad, Owen Scrivens, noticed that the youngster’s eyes looked different in a photograph taken with flash.
One eye had the typical red eye effect caused by flash, while the other was glowing a golden white colour.
After the curious father Googled the symptom he quickly realised something could be seriously wrong, and Jaxson was whisked to a doctor.
After the little boy was put to sleep for a retinal scan he was diagnosed with a tumour that was a grade D on a scale of A to E.
The youngster’s eyes looked different in a photograph taken with flash - showing a tumour
Now the little boy is having chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Thankfully the tumour has already shrunk to the a third of the size - and hopefully it will soon be small and benign.
The golden flash is a retinoblastoma. The NHS said: “Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer that can affect young children (usually under five years of age).
“If it's picked up early, retinoblastoma can often be successfully treated (children treated for retinoblastoma diagnosed at an early stage have a survival rate of more than 95%).”
The dog that sniffed out baby's cancer
In a GoFund me page that has been written by Jaxson’s family, in the voice of Jaxson, says: “Chemotherapy has made me lose my hair, made me sick, tired, weak and everything I eat tastes like metal although now I have a lot of meds to try and control the sickness.
“I can't go to crowded places and I miss out on family visits due to some else having the slightest cold.
“I’ve spent weeks in hospital so far, It's been difficult for mum and dad to lead a normal life with all of these things happening,” it reads.
Jaxson is out of hospital now, but he is going back and forth for treatment.
Now Jaxson is having chemotherapy treatment for cancer, which is shrinking the tumour
The crowdfunding page has already beat its target of £1,000 - reaching £1,305 so far.
The parents are encouraging others to share the story, so that others may be able to catch the illness early.
Another sign of a deadly cancer could be being confused with heartburn.
Experts warn this could be because symptoms of the disease are hard to spot.