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Boy, three, gets 'magic eye' after cancer surgery

Nelli Bird
BBC News
Carys Wham Wilfie with his mouth open, smiling - he is wearing facepaint in a mask design and looking straight at the cameraCarys Wham
Wilfie likes to talk about his magic eye and has even asked to take his spare one to school to show his friends.

When three-year-old Wilfie developed a squint, his parents had no idea of the devastating news they were about to receive.

Carys and Richard Wham were told their son had eye cancer and had to choose between putting him through chemotherapy or having his eye removed.

"When the news was first given, your mind goes to the darkest place," recalls dad Richard. "I was preparing for the worst and we might be saying goodbye."

Wilfie has since had surgery, is now cancer-free and loves talking to friends about his "magic eye".

It all started over a few months in 2023 when Wilfie's parents noticed his left eye started to lose focus and "wander" at times.

"I knew immediately something really wasn't right," recalled mum Carys.

When she took Wilfie for an eye examination in south Wales, she said "the optician went really quiet".

Wilfie, who is a twin, was rushed to an appointment at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport where Carys was told it was highly likely her son had a rare form of eye cancer called retinoblastoma, which affects about 40 to 50 children in the UK every year.

A squint is just one possible symptom, with a white glow in the eye, a red swollen eye or a change in the colour of the iris other possible signs, according to the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT).

A woman, in her early forties with light blonde mid-length hair wearing a pink, leopard print top is next to a young boy, smiling at the camera with brown hair wearing a white t-shirt with black stripes. The boy is holding a toy penguin with grey and white fur, an orange nose and black eyes. Next to him is a man with black hair and beard, wearing a grey jumper.
Carys and Richard Wham with their son Wilfie who is holding his favourite toy 'Pip', a penguin with removable eyes given as a gift by the charity CHECT

Within 10 days, specialists at Birmingham Children's Hospital confirmed Wilfie had advanced stage five cancer.

Richard and Carys took the "very difficult" decision to remove the whole of Wilfie's eye, a process known as enucleation.

"They couldn't give us any hard evidence that keeping his eye was of any benefit and it carried more risk that the tumour was living on with him for longer and longer," said Richard.

He recalled how doctors told them his son's vision would never improve and any attempt with chemotherapy to shrink the tumour would be to save the eye for cosmetic purposes only.

Carys Wham Four children, holding hands - from left to right, a girl aged 10 with long brown hair wearing a hoodie, has her mouth slightly open, a younger boy, aged 4, is smiling, wearing a Santa hat and blue fleece, he is next to a boy, aged 8, wearing a lighter blue fleece with brown hair and another, younger boy, aged four, wearing the same Santa hat and fleece as the other young boy is pictured. All are walking down a patch next to some grass.Carys Wham
Wilfie, pictured second from left, couldn't wait to get home from hospital to be with his siblings Mali, Sam, and twin brother Monty.

"I still wrestle with it now, the idea that one day he might say to us 'why didn't you try and save my eye?'," admitted Carys.

Both believe their son's overall health was the most important factor and felt "grateful" there was a choice to be made.

In December 2023, Wilfie underwent surgery and returned home to Caerleon near Newport with his new "magic" artificial eye, overwhelming his parents with his ability to adapt, and returning to school after Christmas.

"He was so resilient and so brave and he came home and he was just like normal Wilfie, just getting on with things," said Carys.

Richard and Carys believe their son's young age, typical of retinoblastoma cases, made it more difficult to spot the signs and now they want to raise awareness to help other families.

Carys Wham Two smiling young boys, wearing Santa hats and red shirts with a Christmas design are pictured - the left eye of boy on the right has a white glow in the iris Carys Wham
Wilfie (left), pictured alongside his twin, Monty - a white glow can be seen in Wilfie's left eye, one of the signs of retinoblastoma

"Until your child is telling you they can't see the letters on the blackboard, you wouldn't necessarily think of taking them for an eye test," added Carys.

"But you should take your child to have an eye test, just like they have hearing tests and weight checks in school."

Now 18 months on, Carys plans to run this month's London Marathon to raise money for Childhood Eye Cancer Trust, a charity which has helped during the most difficult period of their lives.

"I wanted to honour Wilfie's strength and bravery," said Carys who will be cheered on in London by husband Richard and her four children.

"I wanted to do something positive out of something that was so negative and so horrendous for us as a family."