Medical advances saved children from blindness
Published Monday November 17th, 2008
A survivor of a rare form of cancer was in Oromocto to share stories about his family's long battle with the disease.
When he was three years old, London, Ont., native Terry Hoddinott was diagnosed with retinoblastoma - a strain of cancer that attacks cells in the retina.
Blind in both eyes since that age, Hoddinott, now 45, is happily married with two children, has a good career as a software consultant with Bell Canada, competes in triathlons, and likes to play guitar when he can find the time.
But due to the intense rounds of radiation that he had to endure as a child, Hoddinott said his chances of developing cancer again once he reaches the age of 50 are about 50-50.
Both of Hoddinott's children were diagnosed with the same form of cancer but, thanks to advances in cancer research, he said they won't have to go through the same battle he did.
"My 12-year-old son Riley had 13 tumours in both eyes when he was born, but he never had to do any radiation; we did some laser surgery and chemotherapy until he was three, and one eye was too far gone to save, but he still has perfect vision in one eye," said Hoddinott.
The story of Hoddinott's now nine-year-old daughter Katie is even more remarkable.
Having realized the hereditary traits of this rare form of cancer, doctors diagnosed Katie when she was still in the womb and were able to deliver her early and salvage both eyes through laser surgery.
"There have been a few more diagnosed that way since her, but she was the first baby in the world ever diagnosed that way," said Patti Hoddinott, Terry's wife.
"When children are that small you can treat it with little pin-point lasers, but with the larger tumours they have to do chemo to shrink it, so that's where we were with Riley," she said.
She said both children remain healthy and active, with Katie possessing 20/20 vision in both eyes.
According to the Canadian Retinoblastoma Society, retinoblastoma is one of the most heritable forms of cancer.
It says the chances of the mutated gene being passed on to children is about 50 per cent.
Hoddinott said he's grateful the research spearheaded by the Canadian Cancer Society has helped lift the survival rate of retinoblastoma to over 95 per cent.
"As a family, we've basically gone from no eyes, to one eye, to two eyes and it's all due to research which is funded by the Canadian Cancer Society,'' he said.
"When I was treated back in the 1960s, quite a few of my friends that went to blind school with me had the same kind of cancer treatment that I did. Eight people that I know have died from secondary cancer.''
One of those eight people was legendary Canadian guitar innovator
Jeff Healey, who passed away last March.
"The work isn't done yet, because there are still risks of secondary cancer occurring," said Patti Hoddinott.
"But that's just our thing, there are still plenty of other cancers where the survival rate is much lower and that's just not good enough,"
Next spring, Hoddinott said he plans on generating awareness for another organization that is near and dear to his heart.
He plans to embark on a cross-Canada trek with a group of triathletes in support for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).
He said he plans to be in Fredericton sometime in June.
This weekend's event was put on by the Canadian Cancer Society.
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