Award for brave Leamington toddler

Buy photos » Courageous Thomas Lawson with grandad Michael and mum Becky. Photo by Jamie Gray 02.012.035.leam.jg (www.buyphotos247.com)

THE COURAGE of a Leamington toddler who had cancer in both eyes has been recognised with a special award from Cancer Research UK.

Thomas Lawson, from Sydenham, was just five months old when he was diagnosed with Bi-Retinoblastoma - a type of eye cancer – in December 2007.

Now four-year-old Thomas has received a special star-shaped chrome trophy for the bravery he showed throughout his cancer treatment.

Cancer Research UK’s Little Star Awards acknowledge the unique challenges faced by youngsters who encounter cancer and raise vital funds for research into the disease. Each and every child nominated receives the accolade. There is no judging panel because the awards aim to highlight the courage of all children who face cancer.

Thomas’ mum Becky said: “Thomas’s granddad put him forward for the award because of everything he has been through. It has been really hard for such a young child to have his life dominated by medical treatment, but he has come through it with enormous courage and resilience, has started school, and loves drawing and colouring.

“We never take life for granted anymore and we owe Thomas’s survival to the incredible advances that have been made in children’s cancer research.”

Parents Becky and Robin first noticed a squint in baby Thomas’s left eye at the age of three months.

Becky said: “I mentioned it to the health visitor who referred me to a local clinic, but at the clinic they couldn’t see it. It was quite difficult to spot - it was like a glare or whiteness in his eye, a bit like a cat’s eye. I would catch sight of it when changing his nappy.

“I noticed that it started showing up on photos and when I looked it up on the internet eye cancer came up. I took the photos in to show the GP but he couldn’t see anything when he looked in Thomas’s eyes.”

Thomas was eventually referred to Warwick Hospital, where eye drops were put in Thomas’s eyes enabling the doctors to spot the tumours.

“By this time Thomas was over five months old, so it had taken over two months to get a diagnosis,” said Becky. “It was frustrating, and terrifying, but things moved very quickly from there.

“We were sent to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where they put Thomas to sleep so they could look into his eyes properly. He had tumours in both eyes. The tumour in his left was so large he only had peripheral vision. That was when we got a definite diagnosis of retinoblastoma.

“We were absolutely devastated when Thomas was diagnosed with cancer. He was an IVF baby and we had waited a long time to have him. We had been married for 13 years and were on our 13th IVF attempt when we had him, and he was born on the 13th so we reckon 13 was his lucky number!

Just before Christmas Thomas began chemotherapy to treat his cancer. The family were in and out of hospital for many months, and in March 2008 Thomas had an operation to reattach the retina in his right eye. It made an enormous difference to him and restored much of the sight he had lost.

Becky said: “The treatment was lengthy and hard for him to cope with. He hated having eye drops and anaesthetics and eventually started hating hospital because he knew what was going to happen.

“I had lost my job due to a relocation when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Thomas, then my husband Robin lost his job two weeks after that. I have been unable to work since due to caring for Thomas, and Robin’s job search was hindered when he was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2010 so he cannot drive to look for work further from home.

“Luckily though, we have family living close by who have been really supportive and have kept us going through it all.

“Thomas is a lively, fun-loving boy now and he has retained his eyes although his sight is limited in the left eye due to the tumour covering the (retina) central vision. He will need to be monitored for the rest of his life but visits will get further apart."

In Britain around 50 children each year are diagnosed with retinoblastoma. It has the highest survival rate of any childhood cancer – 99 per cent of children are cured, and Cancer Research UK’s work has played a vital part in this success.

Courageous Thomas Lawson with grandad Michael and mum Becky. Photo by Jamie Gray 02.012.035.leam.jg (www.buyphotos247.com)