In photographs of Madeleine, I've noticed that her pupils often have white spots. White spots on a photographed eye can be a sign of retinoblastoma. I'm sure this is a long shot, but could Madeleine have had eye cancer? I'm no doctor. Looking for more expert opinions...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinoblastoma
BTW, I've been lurking here for a while but each time I see her picture, I think about this possibility. I haven't seen anything posted about this possibility. Look at the first set of pictures posted by Colomom on the pictures thread to see these white spots or reflections. Usually, eyes will have red spots when photographed.
Curiousity, I will get back with more information when my best girlfriend get home from shopping~ LOL
Her daughter had a Retinoblastoma when she was about 3 yrs. old.
My friend's older son saw something in her eye, like Maddies and they immediately got her to the best eye Doctor in town here in La Jolla CA. He said it's either nothing
or it's was cancer!
He recommended that she see the top Doctor at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York and they flew there the next day!
It turned out of course to be a Retinoblastoma! Since they found it early they were able to operate but did to remove the eye. Several months after surgery she got a fake eye and would every couple of years have that replaced as she was growing.
My friends daughter now is fine.........43 yrs. old, has two children and
has been a teacher for years.
If...........this spot you see in Maddie'a eye was a dreadful Retinoblastoma then it seems that there would be a good chance at Maddies age to get help.
There are two types of retinoblastoma. Familial retinoblastoma is hereditary, is passed from parent to child, and is bilateral (affects both eyes). Familial retinoblastoma represents 10% of cases. It is associated with a long-term predisposition to other types of cancer. The second type of retinoblastoma, responsible for 70% of all new cases, is unilateral (only one eye is affected). It represents the non-heritable form of the disease, and carries no increased risk of a second tumor.
"Ninety percent of all retinoblastoma cases are diagnosed within the first three years of the child's life. On average, children with familial retinoblastoma typically are diagnosed at four months of age. When there is no family connection, the cancer is usually diagnosed when the child is approximately one to two years of age".
When my girlfriend gets home, I'll see what she thinks about that spot in Maddies eyes. I'm sure that my friend would never forget what the spot they found looked like.
Does anyone here remember if one of the Doctor's at the dinner party happen to be an ophthalmologist! It would be interesting!
:blowkiss: :blowkiss:
xxxxxxxooooo
mama