Close up of a child with leukocoria detected by CRADLE, with results boxes around both eyes and magnified images of both eyes below the main photo.

From CRADLE to Care: Your Photos Can Help Scientists Build an App for Parents to Diagnose Serious Child Eye Disease Early.

A White pupil is the most common early sign of eye cancer in young children, and it’s usually seen first in photos. Do you want to turn your smartphone into a powerful cancer-detector? Mark Billings, WE C Hope USA Director, tells the story behind the CRADLE app and explains how you can help scientists improve it.

A group of teenagers enjoy a game of volleyball on a sand court surrounded by trees, under a cloud-dusted blue sky.

When Survivors Grow Up: Family Experiences After Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is highly curable, but lifelong impacts are significant for survivors, siblings, parents and extended family. After a particularly painful personal insight, Rb survivor and WE C Hope CEO Abby White asked families and survivors about their own experiences of life beyond childhood eye cancer care.

A large group photo, showing 40+ people of all ages.

A Day Well Spent – California Family Day

Local in-person support specific to the needs of families and survivors affected by retinoblastoma is much needed but very rare. Lisa Hester, mother of a young Rb survivor, reflects on the second WE C Hope California Family Day, held in August 2019, the seeds of our mission to bring this support to all across America.

A baby boy looks at the camera. his right eye shows a white reflex while his left eye is turned in towards his nose.

When ‘Something’ Looks the Same As ‘Nothing’: Strabismus, Leukocoria and Childhood Eye Cancer

Strabismus (turned eye) and leukocoria (white pupil), the most common signs of retinoblastoma, can also occur in healthy eyes. Sandra Staffieri, Retinoblastoma Care Co-ordinator at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, examines both and answers the key question – when should parents and doctors be concerned?

Celebrating Annie: Guide Dog Retires from WE C Hope Team

Annie, an important member of our team, retired on April 15th. Abby White, retinoblastoma survivor, WE C Hope founder and volunteer CEO, reflects on working with her guide dog for seven years. She considers the many varied gifts Annie has brought to both herself as an individual retinoblastoma survivor, and to WE C Hope.

Latifa and her mother

Retinoblastoma in Ghana: Saving Children’s Life and Sight

Just 3 paediatric oncologists serve Ghana’s population of 29 million, but this dedicated team leads one of the best childhood cancer programs in West Africa. Dr. Vera Essuman (paediatric ophthalmologist) and Prof. Lorna Renner (paediatric oncologist) discuss retinoblastoma in Ghana and the development of care for children with eye cancer across the country.

Jayne and a child are pictured wearing long yarn wigs of different colours.

Jayne Kamau, My Friend and Colleague

On March 10, 2019, our beloved child life specialist Jayne Kamau died aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 as she returned home from SIOPAfrica in Cairo. WE C Hope Child Life Director, Morgan Livingstone, reflects on more than a decade of mentoring, friendship and working together to advance child life in Kenya. Co-authored with WE C Hope CEO, Abby White.

Artistic tree in white and gold ribbon on red background, surrounded by snow and tiny and large snowflakes. Below, a wave of opaque white ribbon flows across the image.

Our 2018 Blog Year in Review

The WE C Hope blog has been busy in 2018. We’ve shared 24 posts from 17 authors – parents, survivors, researchers or professionals providing retinoblastoma-related care. Each has brought valuable experience, knowledge and perspective, and we are very thankful to them all. Here is a recap of posts we’ve shared in the past 12 months.

a baby plays with an anaesthetic mask

10 Commonly Confused Retinoblastoma Terms, What They Mean and Why Getting Them Right Matters.

Do you know the difference between a biopsy and pathology, or an RB1 gene deletion and Chromosome 13q deletion? Do you know how a retinoma becomes retinoblastoma or when remission becomes cure? In Part 2 of a mini-series, WE C Hope CEO Abby White explains these and other terms, and why using them correctly is important.

A baby has a squint - the right eye is rutned in towards the nose.

8 Commonly Confused Retinoblastoma Terms, What They Mean and Why Getting Them Right Matters.

Do you know the difference between lazy eye and squint, or an ocular oncologist and a paediatric oncologist? Do you know when extraocular Rb becomes metastatic, or why trilateral Rb is neither of these? In Part 1 of a mini-series, WE C Hope CEO Abby White explains these and other terms, and why using them correctly is important.