Her life modified in a flash.
A UK mom of 4 says she was in a position to detect her infant son’s rare cancer using the flash on her phone’s camera.
Sarah Hedges, 40, was cooking a shepherd’s pie dinner in November 2022 when she looked across at her 3-month-old son, Thomas, and noticed a “white glow” in his eye.
Hedges said it was reflecting the sunshine “like a cat’s eye” — so she used her phone to take photos with the flash on to see if she could spot it again.
“I couldn’t see it again, so then I wondered whether it was just the lighting,” Hedges, a support employee from Gillingham, Kent, told SWNS.
“It was playing on my mind, so the subsequent day I moved Thomas around in several rooms near lighting and eventually, I saw it again,” she added.
Hedges turned to Google — her results suggested Thomas might need cancer, so she showed the photos to a physician.
The doctor didn’t seem fearful, Hedges said, but referred Thomas to Medway Hospital anyway.
Thomas was indeed diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare and aggressive type of eye cancer that affects babies and young children.
“The doctor called us back into his room to debate the outcomes. I used to be in the toilet,” Hedges recounted. “Once I got here out, he was waiting for me. I knew then it wasn’t excellent news — no doctor waits for somebody outside the bathroom, do they?”
She continued: “Before he said anything I asked, ‘Is it cancer?’ and he said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not excellent news.’”
Thomas was referred to the Royal London Hospital — he had six rounds of chemotherapy starting in November 2022.
After battling sepsis, he finished his final round of chemotherapy on April 6, 2023, and rang the bell on May 10, 2023.
Hedges said Thomas is recovering well. She describes him as a “cheeky little boy” who likes to “rough and tumble” along with his older brother. Hedges has three other children: Beth, 21, Dillan, 16, and Lucas, 8.
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) says that signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow — which can only appear in certain lights or a squint — in addition to a change in the looks of the attention, or a swollen eye.
Often, just one sign or symptom is present.
“Symptoms could be quite subtle, and kids often seem well in themselves, which may make it hard to diagnose. In just below half of all cases, a toddler must have a watch removed as a part of their treatment,” CHECT chief executive Richard Ashton explained.
He added: “We’re grateful that in Thomas’ case, his symptoms were recognized in order that he could receive treatment.”
Hedges recalled considering Thomas was going to die.
“Once you hear the word ‘cancer,’ you robotically consider the worst — this could be life-threatening,” she sighed. “I just desired to be swallowed up and someone to inform me that it was a foul dream and that I might get up in a minute.”
Her life modified in a flash.
A UK mom of 4 says she was in a position to detect her infant son’s rare cancer using the flash on her phone’s camera.
Sarah Hedges, 40, was cooking a shepherd’s pie dinner in November 2022 when she looked across at her 3-month-old son, Thomas, and noticed a “white glow” in his eye.
Hedges said it was reflecting the sunshine “like a cat’s eye” — so she used her phone to take photos with the flash on to see if she could spot it again.
“I couldn’t see it again, so then I wondered whether it was just the lighting,” Hedges, a support employee from Gillingham, Kent, told SWNS.
“It was playing on my mind, so the subsequent day I moved Thomas around in several rooms near lighting and eventually, I saw it again,” she added.
Hedges turned to Google — her results suggested Thomas might need cancer, so she showed the photos to a physician.
The doctor didn’t seem fearful, Hedges said, but referred Thomas to Medway Hospital anyway.
Thomas was indeed diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare and aggressive type of eye cancer that affects babies and young children.
“The doctor called us back into his room to debate the outcomes. I used to be in the toilet,” Hedges recounted. “Once I got here out, he was waiting for me. I knew then it wasn’t excellent news — no doctor waits for somebody outside the bathroom, do they?”
She continued: “Before he said anything I asked, ‘Is it cancer?’ and he said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not excellent news.’”
Thomas was referred to the Royal London Hospital — he had six rounds of chemotherapy starting in November 2022.
After battling sepsis, he finished his final round of chemotherapy on April 6, 2023, and rang the bell on May 10, 2023.
Hedges said Thomas is recovering well. She describes him as a “cheeky little boy” who likes to “rough and tumble” along with his older brother. Hedges has three other children: Beth, 21, Dillan, 16, and Lucas, 8.
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) says that signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow — which can only appear in certain lights or a squint — in addition to a change in the looks of the attention, or a swollen eye.
Often, just one sign or symptom is present.
“Symptoms could be quite subtle, and kids often seem well in themselves, which may make it hard to diagnose. In just below half of all cases, a toddler must have a watch removed as a part of their treatment,” CHECT chief executive Richard Ashton explained.
He added: “We’re grateful that in Thomas’ case, his symptoms were recognized in order that he could receive treatment.”
Hedges recalled considering Thomas was going to die.
“Once you hear the word ‘cancer,’ you robotically consider the worst — this could be life-threatening,” she sighed. “I just desired to be swallowed up and someone to inform me that it was a foul dream and that I might get up in a minute.”
