WHEN mum Joanna Laughland took her baby Arla for an eye test, she was expecting the appointment to be routine.
She knew the one-year-old had a squint, while a white glow showed up in her left eye in photos.
But as her husband also had a squint as a child, she assumed Arla's problem could easily be solved.
So she wasn't prepared at all for the ophthalmologist's devastating diagnosis that Arla had a large tumour and would probably have to have her eye removed.
Joanna, 29, said: "I was in shock. I'd gone on my own because I thought it was a basic eye check." Last December, doctors told her and husband Nicky, 30, that Arla had retinoblastoma - a rare and aggressive form of eye cancer found in babies and children.
This story is from the December 24, 2023 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
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This story is from the December 24, 2023 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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