A Shetland family whose eight-month-old baby has been receiving chemotherapy for a rare eye cancer has raised almost £10,000 for the ARCHIE Foundation.
Baby James was just three months old when his parents Paula and James Manson, from Brae, noticed a white glow in his left eye and took him to see a GP locally in October.
They were immediately referred to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and 11 days later an ophthalmologist informed them that James was believed to have retinoblastoma – a cancer which develops in the cells of the eye’s retina – not only in his left eye but also his right.
Around 50 to 60 cases are diagnosed in the UK every year, usually in children under the age of six.
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust says that around 98% of children with the condition survive, but that early diagnosis is vital.
James’ mother and father have both been down in Aberdeen with him for nearly six months, and he has just undergone the fifth of six courses of chemotherapy treatment.
Mrs Manson said they were initially put up in accommodation at the hospital, but around three weeks ago the ARCHIE Foundation, a charity which helps sick children in the north of Scotland, was able to provide a flat as they had been there long-term.
“They’ve been very, very good with us,” she said.
It is expected James will receive his final session of chemotherapy in May.
Mrs Manson says it is likely that James will go away for monthly examinations for the next year, with more intermittent appointments likely to continue until his 16th birthday.
This weekend James’ granddad Peter and step granny Sandra are getting their heads shaved to raise money as a thank you to the ARCHIE Foundation as a thank you for the dedication it has given the family.
The online fundraising total currently stands at just over £3,000 and there are cash donations of more than £6,000 with more expected to come in.