A three-year-old boy has received a devastating diagnosis despite experiencing virtually no symptoms, and his mum initially suspecting he had conjunctivitis.
When doctors told Jade Williams her little Rhys had a rare type of eye cancer known as Retinoblastoma on Friday, April 14, her world came crashing down.
However, she says he experienced barely any symptoms until she noticed he had a 'glassy, glazed' left eye.
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"There were hardly any symptoms and I would've never thought this was it," she told the Mirror.
"His eye started looking glassy and glazed and I thought it was conjunctivitis. He kept saying his eye was 'sunny'. Then I noticed he was getting worse and the pupil was getting more red."
Jade was urged to take pictures of Rhys' eyes and send them to an optometrist after she asked a friend who works at Specsavers
She was then told to take him to A&E and following a few days and numerous tests, little Rhys was given the devastating diagnosis, with doctors saying he has the most aggressive type of tumour in his left eye.
"I went into survival mode and thought, 'I have to be strong for my son'," Jade said, who has three other sons Kayden, 11, Theo, 9 and four-month-old Arthur.
"When I put the kids to bed, that's when I broke down. You cannot prepare yourself, it was a sinking feeling."
Little Rhys now has to undergo treatment at the Oncology unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital - one of only two hospitals in the UK to offer it - every four weeks.
However, if the tumour in his eye does not shrink enough by the next round of chemotherapy, doctors will have to remove his eye completely.
Jade said: "There's nothing worse than seeing him in pain. It's heartbreaking and I cry at every single appointment."
Even in the face of tragic circumstances, Rhys is incredibly brave and still enjoys helping Jade with baby Arthur.
The 29-year-old mum said: "He is amazing with him. He likes to help feed and change him.
"He loves playing football and we were about to start him in a team before all this, which is a shame. He also loves to pretend play and will be a doctor or a builder. He also loves wrestling with his older brothers still.
"He knows he has a poorly eye, and while we don't hide the word 'cancer' around him, he just knows he has to go to the doctors because he's unwell."
With the ongoing treatment and Jade taking care of a newborn as well as her two older sons, she and her partner Chris Friery, as well as Rhys' dad Kurt are splitting the care between themselves.
Jade is also self-employed so is not receiving an income while she is on maternity leave, meaning that they have to move their shifts around and take time off for hospital visits.
She said: "We are co-parenting amazingly. We also have an amazing support network of friends and family, but it's things like hospital parking and meals that are a struggle."
Jade has also arranged a fundraiser to raise vital funds to help her family through this difficult time.
Not only that, but she is also donating a portion of the proceeds to the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust to raise money for care packages for parents who are in the same position as her own.
"The hospital has been amazing," she said. "We couldn't be more grateful to the doctors and nurses for their care. We wanted to help others in our position, and we thought this was the best way."
The family has already well surpassed their £1,000 (€1,100) target with the GoFundMe page at more than a staggering €4,200, as they wait another week to find out if little Rhys' tumour has shrunk.
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