Heartwarming moment a five-year-old boy who lost his eye to a rare cancer sees his prosthetic for the first time and beams with delight

  • Amello Gardiner, from Freeport, Grand Bahama, lost his right eye in June 2018
  • The five-year-old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer 
  • A year later, Amello was given a prosthetic painted to match his remaining eye
  • Footage shows him looking surprised and then delighted as he looks in mirror  

By JESSICA GREEN FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

This is the heartwarming moment a five-year-old boy receives a 'life-changing' prosthetic eye.

Amello Gardiner, from Freeport, Grand Bahama, in the Bahamas, lost his right eye in June 2018 after being diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer.

A year later, on July 2, 2019, the youngster finally gained a prosthetic painted to match his remaining eye - allowing him to 'look like a normal kid again'.

His mother Allison Robinson, 31, captured her son's moving reaction after first seeing his new eye, with the charming little one's face adorned with a wide smile.

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Amello Gardiner, from Freeport, Grand Bahama, in the Bahamas, was astonished after getting a new prosthetic eye
He lost his right eye in June 2018 after being diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer

Amello Gardiner, from Freeport, Grand Bahama, in the Bahamas, was astonished (pictured right) after getting a new prosthetic eye (pictured left)

On July 2, 2019, the youngster finally gained a prosthetic painted to match his remaining eye - allowing him to 'look like a normal kid again'
Amello beaming at his reflection after getting his new eye

On July 2, 2019, the youngster finally gained a prosthetic painted to match his remaining eye - allowing him to 'look like a normal kid again'

Following the procedure, the eager youngster turned to his mother and said: 'I want to see, Mummy.'

Allison quickly moved a silver mirror in front of her son's face and his eyes instantly widened in astonishment, before he let out a shocked laugh along with a beaming smile.  

The doting parent said: 'Our lives changed quickly, because it was a lot we had to take on in such a short time frame.

'I comforted myself by thinking that he had only lost an eye, that he was still with me.' 

Amello pictured before getting his prosthetic
Following the procedure, the eager youngster (pictured before getting his new eye) turned to his mother and said: 'I want to see Mummy.'

Following the procedure, the eager youngster (pictured before getting his new eye) turned to his mother and said: 'I want to see Mummy.'

His mother Allison Robinson (pictured with her youngster), 31, captured her son's moving reaction after first seeing his new eye

His mother Allison Robinson (pictured with her youngster), 31, captured her son's moving reaction after first seeing his new eye

She continued: 'Now that Amello has got his prosthetic eye he's become much bubblier. He's extremely excited just to look like a normal kid again.

'He cannot see out of it, but he can move it and it looks like his real eye.'

Retinoblastoma is a rare form of cancer in the eye which usually affects children under the age of five.

About 300 children in the US develop it each year alongside 50 in the UK, according to figures.

It causes noticeable changes to the eye so is often caught early on – around 98 per cent of children with the disease are successfully treated.

WHAT IS RETINOBLASTOMA?

Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer that usually affects children under the age of five.

As it is usually caught early in the UK, 98 per cent of children with the disease are successfully treated.

About 50 children develop the condition every year in Britain.

It affects up to 300 youngsters annually in the US.

Retinoblastoma is specifically a cancer of the retina, which is the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye.

It can affect one or both eyes.

A fault gene is responsible in about 40 per cent of cases. This can be inherited from the sufferer’s parents or may occur spontaneously.

The most common symptoms are the pupil looking like a cat’s eye and the child developing a squint. 

The cat eye look is most commonly seen in photos.

Small tumours can usually be treated with laser or freezing treatment.

Larger tumours may require chemotherapy or surgery.

Source: NHS Choices

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