TORONTO – A two-year-old boy at risk of losing his right eye has moved to Canada with his family to get treatment for a rare form of cancer.
Wei Wei suffers from retinoblastoma, which develops in the cells of the retina. He was diagnosed when he was 18 months old.
In Canada, only 24 children a year suffer from are diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
While at his home in Suzhou, China he was treated unsuccessfully with chemotherapy. He lost his left eye and could soon lose the other, leaving him totally blind.
His family sold everything to raise enough money to come to Canada because the only doctor in the world specializing specifically in retinoblastoma is at SickKids Hospital in Toronto.
When he first arrived in February, Dr. Brenda Gallie, the retinoblastoma specialist, said there was a large white tumour that needed to be removed.
Wei Wei also has Hepatitis B which makes it difficult for the hospital to conduct their usual chemotherapy procedure. Instead, Gallie, said the hospital used laser treatments along with a different style of chemotherapy.
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So far, Wei Wei has undergone eight sessions of laser therapy.
“We had to pay for all the treatments ourselves. We used all the money we saved. We sold our home in order to come here and get my child treatment,” Wei Wei’s mother, Ping Yan said.
But the laser treatments did not work: Wei Wei’s cancer has moved into the vitreous of the eye – a gel in front of the retina.
Now, Gallie is recommending that the family go back to China for a high-risk surgery not performed in Canada that would remove the vitreous entirely. But one of the risks of the surgery is that the cancer could spread further.
Despite the risk, Gallie thinks the boy’s eye can be saved.
After the surgery, Wei Wei will have to come back to Toronto for about 8 more laser treatments – estimated at approximately $3,000 per session.
The doctors at Sick Kids Hospital have waived their fees for the boy’s treatment.
Gallie noted that it’s difficult for Wei Wei to get laser treatment in China because his doctor’s practice is spread across 18 cities.
“We have struggled for more than a year. I hope we get good news and a good outcome,” his mother, Yan said. “He is a really strong boy. I think he will overcome it, especially with all the support. I believe he will be better.”
And a fund has been set up to help with the family’s costs. People hoping to donate to Wei Wei can add his name to the donation.
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