As much as I hate to look at this, I needed to create a short post to show you what to look out for in photos of your babies/children.
This photo clearly shows the glow of light being reflected off of Violet's left pupil. This is a photo taken with flash and I want you to know that only photos taken with flash will show you this problem. In an age where many of the photos we take of our little ones are taken with our phones that do not have a traditional flash, this could easily go unnoticed. If you find anything like this in a photo of your child please contact a pediatric ophthalmologist and have them seen immediately. There are a few different things it could be, but they are all very serious.
I have just over 1600 photos that we have taken of Violet since she was born. This glow is only in 9 of them.
Thank you so much for posting information about Retinoblastoma! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I found the article below on www.jw.com, in the May edition of the Awake! magazine. I'm not sure if the entire thing will post, so I hope you go to the website if you find time to read it. The article is entitled, "When A Child Has Cancer":
ReplyDelete"LEARNING that your child has cancer
can be an overwhelming, even terrifying,
experience. How often does it occur? According
to the International Union Against
Cancer, although “childhood cancers represent
a small percentage of all cancers, each
year more than 160,000 children [worldwide]
are diagnosed and cancer is the second
most common cause of death, after
accidents, among children in developed
countries.” For example, “there are an estimated
9,000 new cases of childhood cancer
each year” in Brazil, states the National Institute of Cancer.
Childhood cancer strikes “a terrible blow
that afflicts, without exception, all the members
of the family,” says the book`Amargemdo leito—A m
˜ ae eocancer infantil" (At the Bedside—
The Mother and Child Cancer). The diagnosis
often means surgery, as well as chemotherapy
or radiation or both, along with
their unpleasant side effects. For the parents,
it brings trauma, giving rise to fear, sadness,
guilt, anger, and denial. How can parents
cope with this painful experience?
A major source of comfort is, of course,
caring medical professionals. “They can add
facts that may be encouraging, as well as explain
and anticipate certain future side effects.
This information may make the experience
less traumatic,” says a doctor from New
York who has assisted many cancer patients.
Much comfort can also be given by other parents
of children who have had cancer. With
that in mind, Awake! interviewed five such
parents who live in Brazil.
˘ Ja
´
ılton and N
´
eia “We learned that our
daughter had acute lymphoblastic leukemia
when she was two and a half years old.”
How long did the treatment last?
“She underwent chemotherapy for nearly
two and a half years.”
What side effects did she experience?
“She vomited a lot and lost her hair. The
enamel on her teeth darkened. And on three
occasions she developed pneumonia.”
How did that make you feel?
“At first we panicked. But whenwe saw her
health improve, we became confident that she
would be cured. She is now almost nine years
old.”
What helped you to deal with this traumatic
situation?
“Without a doubt, it was our trust in Jehovah
God, who ‘comforted us in all our tribulation,’
as the Bible states at 2 Corinthi-
When a Child
Has Cancer
“I was overcome by feelings of
hopelessness. I felt as if the ground
beneath my feet had given way.
I began to experience feelings of grief,
as if my little girl were already dead.”
—Ja
´
ılton, when he discovered that his
daughter had cancer.
ans 1:3, 4. Our Christian brothers and sisters
also gave us marvelous support. They wrote
letters of encouragement, they phoned, they
prayed with us and for us, and they even
helped us financially. Then, when our daughter
had to be moved to a hospital in another
state, the Witnesses there provided us with
accommodations and took turns taking us to
the hospital. Words cannot convey our gratitude
for all the support we received.”
The entire article didn't post, and I put the wrong web address down. It is www.jw.org
ReplyDelete