Rare cancer strikes baby

SHELLY Balkissoon is only nine months old, but already her brief life could be in danger because of a rare form of eye cancer called Retino Blastoma, which took the life of her brother Devanand, and which has afflicted her and another sibling. Two of the three surviving Balkissoon children are afflicted with the rare cancer, which resulted in both sufferers of the disease losing one of their eyes. The family resides in La Romaine and their mother is an oyster vendor. Sandy Balkissoon, Shelly’s 38-year-old mother, is now pondering her next move as she contends with the increasing worry of mounting medical bills and the possibility of losing one of her two children who are afflicted with the rare disease.

Balkissoon’s children are Tony, 14, Renny, seven, and baby Shelly, nine months. Balkissoon lost her first child Devanand to the condition 12 years ago. The worried woman said when he was only three months old she noticed his right eye was “blurry and bluish in colour.” She took him to the Chaguanas Health Centre in 1988, but did not receive any decisive information except that the condition was that of Retino Blastoma, which the family knew nothing of. In fact, she said after several appointments with various doctors, “nothing was done.” The woman eventually took her son to a private doctor who, after further examining the condition, referred them to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. At the PoSGH, Devanand’s eyes were examined and doctors removed the right eye two days later. Devanand was nine months old at the time.