I noticed something in my daughter's eye and knew it was wrong

A mum said her world “turned upside down” when she was told her toddler had a rare form of cancer. Lola McKenna, two, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma after her mum noticed light reflecting in her eye.

The now three-year-old had begun falling over much more and had a glare on her right eye. Lola’s mum, Sophie McKenna, 32, and dad, Stephen McKenna, 42, noticed the symptoms in May this year, and became concerned so they got on Google to see what it could be and found that it could be symptom of a tumour.

Sophie, from Woodchurch, said: “Lola wasn’t poorly and never complained of her eye hurting. We never really noticed that her sight had changed but she had started falling over a lot more than usual, we just put it down to her being a toddler.” After discovering what the glare could be Sophie immediately took Lola to see her GP who told her to urgently visit an optician.

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After visiting the optician Lola was referred to Arrowe Park Hospital and then Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, followed by a visit to a specialist team in Birmingham where a tumour in her eye called a retinoblastoma was confirmed. Mum Sophie, who also has a son Jacob, six, said their world “fell apart” when they got the news. She said: “It was a major shock and still is today. You never think it will happen to your family, never mind your two-year-old baby girl. It's your worst nightmare coming true.

“It turned our world upside down, it was so out of the blue and was very much the unknown. I've really struggled coming to terms with it and haven't managed to go back to work since her diagnosis. Lola has been an absolute warrior, even with everything she has been through and everything she has to come she's such a happy girl.”

Sophie claims if they had known the symptoms of Lola's diagnosis the cancer could have been caught much earlier. She wants to create awareness of retinoblastoma so people know the signs to look out for. Symptoms include:

• A white glow or reflection in the centre of the pupil, especially in low light or in photos with a flash

• Crossed eyes or eyes that don't point in the same direction

• A change in the colour of the iris in one or both eyes

• Red or inflamed eyes

• Difficulty focusing on objects or faces, or uncontrolled eye movements

• Pain in one or both eyes

A GoFundMe has been set up for Lola and her family to raise money and awareness of the condition. Money will be donated to specialist eye cancer charity, The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust. You can donate to the GoFundMe page here.