Essex boy hailed a miracle

Ernie Brown has been hailed a miracle after surviving years of intensive laser treatment and chemotherapy.

The 4-year-old, who lives in Saffron Walden, was diagnosed with cancer of the retina, when he was just three months old. The condition, called 'retinoblastoma' is most common in children under the age of six.

Mum Lisa, who works as a nurse, had taken him to see the doctor because he could not focus on her when she held him close.

During treatment, scans showed more cancers and by the age of nine months Ernie had beaten 13.

More appeared just before his second birthday, so medics sewed a radioactive plaque on to an eye to zap tumours directly.

Lisa and Andy had to take Ernie to Birmingham every three weeks for check ups with an ophthalmologist, but he received his chemotherapy treatment at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.

Ernie's cancer is now in remission, but he will have to have regular check ups until he's eight.

He's registered as visually impaired but with the help of large text books and one to one assistance he started school in September and says he loves it.

Ernie's mum and Dad Lisa and Andy want to help raise awareness of the condition so other families can catch it early like they did.

Some of the most common signs of the disease is are; difficulty focusing, differing coloured irises and eyes glinting white instead of red in photographs.

For more information about retinoblastoma visit www.chect.org.uk