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Daisy and Rati

Welcome to World Eye Cancer Hope

Retinoblastoma is an aggressive eye cancer affecting babies and young children.  It kills 7,000 youngsters each year, and blinds many more.

The most common early sign of childhood eye cancer is a white glow in the pupil of the affected eye.  The cancer is easy to diagnose and when treated early, is very curable.

Suffering and death is highest in developing countries, where most affected children live and timely access to specialist cancer care is limited.  In developed countries, cure is above 96%, but most children experience moderate, severe or complete vision loss.  Globally, children, families and survivors experience significant emotional trauma.

Inspired by
Daisy & Rati

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In Your Country

WE C Hope for all children with eye cancer, families & survivors.

Baby with one white pupil and one red pupilIncreasing access to specialist care will bring the promise of life and sight to every child, and improved life-long health to survivors. This is our mission. We:

  • Educate the public and medical community about retinoblastoma to achieve early diagnosis and rapid referral to specialist care
  • Empower medical teams to deliver sustainable high quality evidence-based care for affected children and adult survivors.
  • Enable family support programs that reduce practical and emotional burdens and improve access to essential care

Families, Survivors, Specialists: Join an Rb Community Event

Promo card with California family day info as in event details. 3 photos show Marissa smiling with painted flowers decorating her face, a large group of adults and children at our 2019 Family Day, and a young smiling girl wearing fairy wings. The background is a view of Long Beach skyline from the ocean, with high blue sky and warm

WE C Hope hosts events for our global Rb community, from virtual child life activity sessions and relaxing family days, to major collaboratve meetings that unite us all to share knowledge and move care forward together.

Read about our upcoming events, find programs and event preparation resources, and register. Please join us to connect with others who share your experience and desire that all children, survivors and families have the best care possible.

Read our Comprehensive 12 Step Guide to Making Treatment Decisions

Text reads “Retinoblastoma Treatment Decisions 12 Step Guide”. The background is a blue painted wood table. To the right of the text, a pen rests on the blank open page of a notebook. Around the notebook sits a pair of glasses, a cup of coffee, and a small plant with green leaves.

Parents face many decisions about their child’s retinoblastoma treatment. Recognizing the complexity of this highly emotive and stressful experience, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to making treatment decisions.

This 12 step tool will help parents navigate the decision making process, and make the best choices at every stage of their child’s eye cancer journey.Read the Treatment Decision Making Guide.

Support Kids During Needle Related Procedures

Kenyan Child Life Specialist, Jayne Kamau, distracts a young patient with a meteor shower toy while a nurse inserts an IV in her hand.

Only 5% of children have support for immunization needle pain. Seriously ill children experience many needle related procedures, rarely with adequate pain support. But pain and distress can be managed and reduced.

Visit our Needle Related Procedures guide to find supports for children of all ages.  Parents, ask how to manage your child’s pain. Healthcare providers, please give parents options. Learn how to make needles easier and safer for everyone.

WE C Hope Blog

A female doctor wearing green scrubs, surgical mask, and a brightly coloured scrub cap, sits on a play area with a child patient. She has placed her stethoscope on the child’s doll. The child is facing the doctor, mostly out of frame, and is using a toy stethoscope to mirror the doctor’s actions.

10 Child Life Tips for Clinicians

Medical appointments, procedures, and treatments are potentially stressful for children and their families, at all stages of their retinoblastoma experience. Child life specialist Morgan Livingstone shares 10 simple ways all medical professionals can ease stress and anxiety, support healthy coping, and help children and families thrive throughout simple interactions and complex cancer care.
Image: A group of people gathered under a tree are smiling at the camera. On the left, Melinda wears a blue top. In the middle, Marissa wears a One Retinoblastoma World t-shirt and holds a white cane. To the right of the frame, Clayonia holds Camilla and waves at the camera. Max stands in front of them, holding his white cane. Behind them, a bright blue sky sweeps over rich foliage and red-roofed buildings.

Midwest Retinoblastoma Family Weekend: Friendships Formed in the Windy City

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This summer, patients, survivors and families gathered for the first-ever Midwest Retinoblastoma Family Weekend, just outside Chicago. WE C Hope USA President and Rb survivor, Marissa Gonzalez, reflects on the friendship, support, hope, and fun shared, and the importance of coming together in person as a community. She also gives an update on more events coming soon to other regions across the USA.
A group of children sit around a large round board game laid out on the floor. A young girl is kneeling with her body stretched out across the board as she takes her turn.

Child Life Specialists in Schools: Supporting Children With Cancer

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Children need a lot of support when they begin or return to school after treatment for cancer.  Child Life Specialist and Elementary School Teacher, Meagan Fuller, explores how child life specialists in schools can help children with retinoblastoma adjust to school life, understand their experience, and find healthy ways to talk with peers about their cancer and visual impairment.
A diverse group of people sit around a table talking. The table is filled with papers and classes of water, and more people are seen working together around tables in the background..

Ethnography: A New Frontier in Retinoblastoma Research

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Every child with retinoblastoma, parent, sibling, survivor, and medical professional has a story to tell of their journey through childhood eye cancer. Understanding our individual and collective experience empowers us to develop and deliver holistic care for all.  Rb survivor and WE C Hope USA Director, Clayonia Colbert-Dorsey discusses the growing field of ethnography research, and how it can positively impact our diverse global community.

Photographers

A baby has one red pupil and one white pupul - the classic early sign of eye cancer in children.

Know The Glow!

Learn about the most common early sign of childhood eye cancer – a white reflection in the pupil, seen in dim light and flash photos. Find out how to take photos to check for signs of serious eye disease in children.

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Parents & Survivors

Find Hope

We offer the Retinoblastoma Resource to supplement information provided by your medical team, answer questions and concerns about all aspects of life with Rb, increase understanding and share hope.

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Family & Friends

How You Can Help

Forget “let me know if I can do anything to help”! Carefully considered and offered support will be truly valued.  We have many suggestions from parents that have brought families relief, joy and hope.

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Give Hope

Sun reflects gold on Daisy's hair as she smiles and laughs while clutching a big bunch of daisies.

Help Change Lives!

There are so many ways you can help us bring hope of cure and better quality of life to children with eye cancer, families and survivors.  Donate online now, or become a fundraising angel. Together, WE C Hope!

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Help us bring hope of life and sight to every child with eye cancer

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