John Baron MP meets Amber Branch and her family

John with Amber and her parents, Pippa and Glenn

Following the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust’s recent Parliamentary reception, John met the Branch family for a constituency surgery. The family wish to raise awareness of childhood eye cancers, as many are unable to recognise the signs and symptoms of the condition.

John said,

“It was good to meet the Branch family, and excellent news that Amber’s eye cancer is being treated and her sight has largely been retained. However, if the cancer had been diagnosed earlier her treatment would have been less invasive and would have led to even better outcomes.”

“Unfortunately the symptoms of cancers like retinoblastoma can be easily missed, and as with all cancers early diagnosis is key. I would encourage doctors and parents alike to become better acquainted with the tell-tale signs of the condition – prompt diagnosis greatly increases the chances of successful treatment.”

Mr and Mrs Branch said,

“We didn’t know anything about the signs of eye cancer. We believed and were reassured that Amber’s squint was simply ‘a squint’, in fact it was probably a first sign of the cancer. We became more concerned 9 months later when we saw a ‘glow’ in her eye, in photos and certain light conditions. At this point we took her to a doctor who referred her for further tests.”

“We are now keen to support CHECT, the Children’s Eye Cancer Trust, in raising awareness of the symptoms with both medical professionals and parents, so that more children are referred sooner. We are also keen that all squints are checked by doctors with the ‘red reflex test’, carried out in the correct light conditions, to rule out any underlying serious conditions.”

“Over 50% of children have to have their eye removed to stop the cancer spreading and earlier referrals could reduce this number.”

“CHECT is a small charity (only 50 children a year are diagnosed in the UK) and the support they have given all of us has been invaluable and we know this support will continue for years to come.”

Notes to Editors:

• The attached photograph shows John with Amber and her parents, Pippa and Glenn.

• Please also see John’s earlier press release of 4th June, ‘John Baron MP raises awareness of childhood eye cancers’ (http://pressreleases.johnbaron.co.uk/archives/3652).

• The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust has produced a leaflet with signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma, available online at: http://chect.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Would-you-recognise-it.pdf.