This is one of my favorite pictures of Elijah. He is only a few weeks old. It is also one of the pictures that makes me cry when I'm alone at night. I look, longingly, at both of his beautiful eyes. You can't tell that anything is wrong.
I didn't know....and quite honestly, he was diagnosed and treated at 7 weeks old. We were still getting used to having a new baby! Elijah's case was particularly rare, since the average age of diagnosis is about 2 years old.
This week is National Retinoblastoma Awareness week. If I could encourage two things for every parent it would be:
1. Make sure your child has had a red reflex test-either before leaving the hospital, or at his first visit to the pediatrician.
2. Take photos of your children with flash. Pay attention to the way their pupils respond to the light.
If you as a parent, notice something out of the ordinary, don't dismiss it lightly.
If you want more information on retinoblastoma, here are some helpful resources:
Elijah is a bold and brave little guy. I'm not ready to be posting pictures of him just yet....but I am saving up for this onesie for when we are out and about:
No comments:
Post a Comment