Ethan is here today — thanks to research

Brave Ethan Hornby with his sister Ella and parents Dianne and Tony

Donations are often among the first thing to go when people are forced to tighten their belts and cut back on spending.

Faced with dwindling funds to pay for research into disease and illness with the hope of finding a cure or better treatments, charities are finding ever more inventive ways of raising money.

This month, Cancer Research UK has launched a “Give up Clothes for Good” campaign, and a Lees mother told her story to reporter Marina Berry in a bid to gain support for the cause.

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Ethan Hornby lost his left eye to cancer after he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma last year.

His mother Dianne took him to see an optometrist in May last year when she and Ethan’s father, Tony, noticed a translucency about his eye.

But they were told all was well and were sent home despite their concerns.

“In certain lights his pupil looked translucent, but he had tests and they couldn’t find a problem,” said Dianne.

But four months later, in September, the school nurse at St Thomas’s, Leesfield, contacted his mother to say she too was concerned about Ethan’s eye.

“She said he seemed to have no vision in his left eye,” recalled his mother.

“I tested him at home to see if he could see anything on the left, and when he couldn’t, panic set in,” she said.

A further visit to the optometrist confirmed the youngster had no vision in his left eye, and he was sent to the eye clinic at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

“We weren’t aware it was eye cancer, it was something we had never even heard of,” said Dianne (42).

“He had had an accident with a skateboard and banged his face, so we thought it might have something to do with that.”

But doctors feared it was something else, and Ethan was sent to Manchester eye hospital to see a specialist.

“That’s when it began to sink in it was something more serious,” said Dianne.

“When they told us it was cancer we were devastated. It was a horrendous time.”

Ethan was referred to a specialist retinoblastoma team at the Diana, Princess of Wales Children’s Hospital, in Birmingham, where he was diagnosed with a large tumour around his left eye.

“They told us he had to have his eye removed immediately to stop it spreading and to save his life,” said Dianne.

“It was awful, everything seemed to be moving so fast.

“Within two weeks we went from never having heard of eye cancer to Ethan having his eye removed.”

The family faced an agonising two week wait to see if the cancer had spread, before they got the wonderful news it hadn’t and he needed no more treatment.

That was in October last year, and the youngster, who is a patient at the artificial eye service in Royton, had a temporary prosthetic eye fitted.

Specialists have now made him a bespoke eye, which matches perfectly to his right eye, and is available to fit when Ethan is ready.

His mother explained: “The tumour was growing round the outside of his eye, and his vision was the last thing to go.

“There was no inclination it was deteriorating between May and September. He was still playing football and swimming.

“We are so indebted to the school nurse, Carol Stacey, she was a Godsend.

“If she hadn’t contacted me I wouldn’t have taken him back when I did, the professionals had said we were overreacting when I took him in May.”

Ethan’s case is rare, there are only around 50 cases in the UK each year, but she urged other parents to follow their gut instinct if they suspected something was wrong with their child, and to go back again.”

Ethan lives in Burton Street, Lees, with his parents and seven-year-old sister, Ella, who also goes to St Thomas’ School, Leesfield.

Dianne said: “Ella was brilliant with him. She helped us all get back to normality after Ethan had his surgery.”

The family told their story to support Cancer Research’s latest fundraising campaign.

The charity is urging people to strip their wardrobes and cupboards as bare as they dare to help raise money for vital research into childhood cancers.

Dianne said: “Thanks to research into children’s cancers, Ethan is here today and is now living a full and happy life like any other five-year-old.

“We would urge people to go through their wardrobes, cupboards and drawers, and drop off as many unwanted goods as they can to TK Maxx as part of the Give Up Clothes for Good campaign.

“In doing so we can all help Cancer Research UK ensure that more children, like Ethan, survive cancer in the future.”

The campaign is a joint project between Cancer Research and TK Maxx, and runs until the end of next week.

Anyone who has any unwanted items can leave them at Oldham’s TK Maxx store, off Union Street, Oldham, or visit www.tkmaxx.com  for more details.