Mom Shares How a White Dot She Spotted in Her Toddler Son’s Eye Turned out to Be Deadly Cancer

A mother-of-one detected deadly cancer in her toddler son after seeing a dodgy spot appear in his eye on a photograph she took.

Twenty-three-year-old Emily Smith took a picture of her son Jaxson, 11 months, and noticed that the center of his eye flashed gray under the camera light.

The mental health care worker did not ignore the anomaly and Googled her concern before taking Jaxson to the doctor for tests.

He was referred to the hospital where doctors confirmed her worst fear. Her little son was diagnosed with retinoblastoma - a rare form of cancer that tends to be more prevalent amongst children.

"The flash on my camera automatically came on as Jaxson was in the dark. He looked so cute but when I looked back at the picture, I noticed the strange clouding behind one of his pupils."

The cancer would probably not have been detected at all were it not for her quick thinking and fast action after seeing that photograph. Even the pediatrician was surprised at his diagnosis.

After the tests, the family was forced to celebrate a difficult Christmas knowing that the child had a tumor that was active and growing inside his eye.

Jaxson underwent both surgery and chemotherapy soon after the specialists assigned to his case agreed on their protocol for their young patient. Further MRI scans showed the cancer had not spread. His mother said:

"Luckily, following his surgery, Jaxson was pleasantly unaware of what was going on and continued to be our happy, beautiful baby boy."

The White Eye Detector application runs through all the pictures in your cellphone and alerts you if it finds one that may be cause for concern. It can also be used in real time.

Unfortunately, at three, Jaxson suffered a relapse and the cancer started up again. The child had to go in for more surgery and chemotherapy, but he is at school now and according to his mother, meeting all his milestones.

It has become common for parents to discover retinoblastoma with the flash on their mobile phone camera leading one such parent, a doctor, to create an app for it.

The White Eye Detector application runs through all the pictures in your cellphone and alerts you if it finds one that may be cause for concern. It can also be used in real time.

While not making a diagnosis of any kind, it's a handy app to have when you're a parent and can certainly contribute to saving lives.