A baby was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer after his mum spotted a "strange" glow in his eyes when she took a picture of him.
Ryder Temarantz, now five, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma after his mum, Andrea, saw the glow as she took photographs of him when he was three months old.
At first, Andrea thought the camera on her phone was faulty and asked her husband, Joey, to get her a new one, but even with the new equipment the "glow" became more prominent and she decided to mention it to their family doctor.
Andrea said: "He was awake more and he was more active, I was always taking pictures.
"That's when I noticed a white glow, I didn't think much of it. I figured it was just because my camera phone wasn't that great. However, it was always there. So, I asked my husband to get me a real camera.
“He bought me a Nikon and gave it to me as an early Christmas present. I opened it and took pictures right away but to my surprise that glow was even worse.”
Ryder was then referred to two specialists and the devastating news that he had cancer was delivered to his parents.
Andrea said: "As my eyes filled with tears I asked if it was cancer. The doctor said he would refer me to another specialist on the same day. I called my husband from the parking lot crying.
"I told him I was pretty sure something was really wrong."
Ryder was then admitted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for a brain scan and a further check-up. It was then he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
If the disease is picked up early, retinoblastoma - a rare cancer often found in children - can often be successfully treated.
Fortunately, the cancer had not spread but as Ryder has Down’s syndrome, chemotherapy would put him at a higher risk of developing leukaemia.
Andrea said she managed to find a doctor in New York who was able to deliver a concentrated treatment in the eye called intra-arterial chemotherapy.
She said: "It's a method of delivering concentrated doses of cancer-killing medicine directly to the affected area of the eye.
“They go in through his artery up past his heart and put it right into his eye.”
Ryder’s eye became swollen and he lost his eyelashes from the chemo, but the procedure was successful and he has now been cancer-free for five years.
He still has to go for yearly appointments with his doctor to make sure his eyes are clear.
Andrea said: “Retinoblastoma is very spontaneous so lots of follow-ups are needed. Ryder has been checked up almost 40 times to make sure he is still cancer-free.
“He just hit the five-year cancer-free mark so from now on he will only need to go under once a year to make sure his eyes are clear."
Andrea has encouraged other parents to look out for anything unusual when taking snaps.
She added: “Pay attention to your photos and your friends' photos. Keep the flash on and if you see a white glow have it checked. All children should see an eye doctor by six months old as this will help prevent many eye issues.”
