Mum detects daughter's cancer after noticing her eye changed colour

A mum spotted her daughter had cancer after noticing her eye changed colour.

Elise Seal, 25, spotted five-year-old Esmae's right eye had turned from its usual green and brown colour to dark brown, while they were on holiday.

And when they returned home she noticed it had a white "glow" and took her to an optician.

Tests revealed she had retinoblastoma - a rare type of eye cancer which can affect young children.

Esmae had an enucleation - where the eye is removed - and was fitted with a prosthetic, as well as undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy.

The little girl has "recovered well" and is a "sassy little princess".

Elise, a stay-at-home mum, from Birmingham, said: "Esmae is a sassy little princess.

"If you look at her now you wouldn't think she had gone through something so big.

"Esmae is always doing something. She is outgoing - she is just an amazing little girl.

"When we got the diagnosis, Callum and I broke down in tears.

"I didn't know about retinoblastoma and we didn't know if she was going to die."

Elise, partner Callum Bissett, 26, a quality inspector, and Esmae were on holiday in Costa Brava, Spain when she noticed the colour change, in June, 2023.

She noticed it was also slightly bloodshot and put it down to chlorine.

Elisa said: "We got home four days later and Esmae was at her grandma's house.

"Her grandma said her eye looked strange.

"As I went to go to her, the sun was in her eye and I noticed a white glow in her pupils."

On July 5, 2023, Elise took Esmae to the opticians who transferred her to Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre.

Doctors looked at Esmae's eye and asked Elise if there was a history of eye cancer in the family.

Elise said: "I think I knew then that it was really bad.”  

Doctors transferred Esmae to Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Just two days later, Esmae was diagnosed with retinoblastoma and doctors told Elise the only option was to remove her eye.

Elise said: "They took us into a side room with tissues and a sofa - I knew at that moment.

"They sat us down and said how she had retinoblastoma and it was at stage E.

"They discussed the only treatment they could offer was an enucleation - a removal of the eye - as the tumour was so bad."

Esmae had her right eye removed on July 18, 2023.

The eye was taken for a biopsy and on August 3, 2023, an oncology doctor explained that they found cancer cells in her optic nerve.

Elise said: "Due to this, she had to have six rounds of intensive chemotherapy.

"Callum and I were heartbroken.

"They went through all the side effects of chemotherapy, and we were both so scared.

"They even mentioned she would have trouble having babies in the future, so they offered to have one of Esmae’s ovaries removed and freeze her eggs for when she is older.

"We just couldn’t believe our little girl would have to go through even more terrifying things."

Esmae started chemotherapy on August 7, 2023 and had her ovary removed a few weeks later.

Esmae underwent six rounds of chemotherapy which finished on December 7, 2023.

Elise said: "It was an amazing day, it was Christmas time so Santa came around that day which was very special.

"Around 4pm, Esmae finished her final chemotherapy and we were all dancing and clapping.

"It was a huge weight off our shoulders that our little girl had accomplished something so big."

Esmae, who just turned five in August, has recovered well and has started school full-time.

Elise said: "She has an MRI scan every three months for the first year to double-check everything.

"She is a happy, healthy, beautiful five-year-old girl.

"She’s gone back into school full time now and enjoying the things she couldn’t do whilst having chemotherapy.”

"I am so proud that she is my daughter."

Richard Ashton, chief executive of CHECT said: “Retinoblastoma is rare, with around one baby or young child being diagnosed in the UK each week.

"Symptoms can be quite subtle, and children often seem well in themselves which can make it hard to diagnose.

"In just under half of all cases, a child must have an eye removed as part of their treatment.”      

“We are grateful that in Esmae’s case, her symptoms were recognised so that she could receive treatment.

"If you are worried that a child you know may have retinoblastoma, please get them seen by a GP or optician ASAP.

"Contact the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust support team at [email protected] and they will provide you with information to take along to your appointment”.