World Eye Cancer Hope

When we talk about sight, we often talk about what we can see. But for families affected by , childhood eye cancer, the story can be much bigger.

It can begin with a parent noticing a white glow in a photograph or an eye that doesn't seem quite right. These subtle changes can be early signs of a serious condition, and knowing when to seek medical care can help save a child's life and sight.

For families navigating treatment, sight can represent hope, difficult decisions, and uncertainty about what comes next. For survivors, the story continues long after treatment ends. Some live with one eye, some with low vision or blindness, and each has their own experiences, adaptations, and aspirations.

And through it all, there's the extraordinary importance of being seen and supported by people who understand!

This , we're celebrating the many stories behind sight. Not just the challenges of childhood eye cancer, but the relationships, courage, joy, and possibilities that are all part of life beyond diagnosis.

At WE C Hope, we're privileged to learn from families and survivors who share these experiences. You can read some of their stories through our 'Through Our Eyes' collection: https://bit.ly/3Tq4oNK

**We'd love to ask you something: Through your eyes, what does sight mean?**

Share your thoughts below, and please consider sharing this post. Someone in your community may learn something that helps a child, or find a story that makes them feel less alone.

VISION 2020/IAPB

One of the many joyful moments from One Rb World 2026 in San Antonio was looking ahead to what comes next.

We were delighted to announce World Eye Cancer Hope Oceania, under the leadership of Sandra Staffieri. This new chapter will serve the retinoblastoma community across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region as we also look ahead to Sydney 2027. 🇦🇺 Pictured here is that exciting handoff moment, with David holding the Australian flag as Sandra shared the news from the stage!

🙋‍♀️ If you’d like to stay informed about WE C Hope Oceania and future updates, please email [email protected]. 📧

We look forward to sharing more soon.

One Rb World 2026 may be behind us, but the connections made there are helping shape what comes next for World Eye Cancer Hope. ❤️ 💛

We’re launching a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to help support future family events, Child Life programming, early detection efforts, survivor support, and other resources for children and families affected by .

✅ Peer-to-peer fundraising is simple: create your own WE C Hope fundraising page, choose a goal, tell your friends and family why this community matters to you, and share your link. Your page can be up and running in less than five minutes.

And a fundraising goal doesn’t have to mean asking anyone for a large gift. Fifty $10 donations reaches $500. Twenty-five $20 donations does too. Small gifts, shared across a community, can add up quickly.

If WE C Hope has been part of your family’s story -- or if you simply want to help make this kind of connection and support possible for others -- we’d love to have you join us!

Start your page here: givebutter.com/wechope 🙌

What does it really take to diagnose earlier? Knowing the warning signs is an important place to start. White pupil glow (also called leukocoria) and squint or eye misalignment are the two most common signs of retinoblastoma. But awareness alone is not enough, and neither is relying on one type of screening.

Routine fundal or red reflex testing is valuable, but it cannot detect every retinoblastoma. Depending on where a tumor develops, how small it is, and how well a young child can cooperate with an exam, cancer can still be missed. That is why parents and healthcare professionals both have such an important role.

When parents notice something unusual, their concerns should be taken seriously. When a healthcare professional suspects a problem, or a parent continues to see a concerning sign, timely referral to an ophthalmologist can help move a child toward the specialist care they need.

Early diagnosis is not one action. It is a chain of awareness, listening, referral, expertise and access to treatment. Our newly updated blog takes a deeper look at the different approaches being used around the world, what each can and cannot accomplish, and why no single solution works everywhere.

Read it today ➡️ https://bit.ly/3VsgSoz

Share this post to help us raise awareness!

One of the gifts of building community over many years is getting to watch children grow up, and then sometimes, getting to watch them return for the children coming behind them.

David has been part of since he was young. Over the years, we’ve watched him grow into a young adult while remaining part of this community.

At One Rb World 2026, David joined children in our Child Life program and shared his own experience with them. In the first photo, he’s pointing to his prosthetic eye as he tells his story. There are things doctors, parents and Child Life professionals can explain beautifully. But there is also something uniquely powerful about a survivor being able to sit among children and say, in his own way, I’ve been where you are.

As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, David’s story reminds us that childhood cancer doesn’t end with treatment. Children grow up. Families keep navigating. And community can continue to be there through all of it.

If you’d like to help support the Child Life experiences we create for children and families, you can give through the Lisa Hester Memorial Fund: https://givebutter.com/lisahester

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is nearly over, but for families affected by retinoblastoma, there is no end date on the need for information, support and connection.

This September gave us an especially vivid reminder of that.

At One Rb World, children, families, survivors, clinicians, researchers and advocates came together from across the retinoblastoma community. While conversations about treatment, survivorship and research were happening throughout the conference, our Child Life program created a space where children could learn, play, create and simply be children.

That is part of what this work looks like.

World Eye Cancer Hope works year-round to connect and support families navigating retinoblastoma around the world. As September comes to a close, you can help us carry that work forward.

Support WE C Hope: https://givebutter.com/wechope 💛🧡❤️

looks a little different through the eyes of everyone who attends, which is one of our favorite things about bringing this community together! Dr. Anne Susanty attended for the first time this year, and we loved the photos and words she shared afterward. They capture a weekend filled with learning, conversations, new connections and the chance for medical professionals to spend time with the survivors and families at the heart of retinoblastoma care.

Thank you, Anne, for joining us in San Antonio and becoming part of the One Rb World community. 💛

If you were there with us, what’s one thing from the weekend you’re still thinking about?

One week later, and yep… we’re still unpacking.

Nope, we're not talking about our suitcases! We're talking about the conversations, the stories, the friendships, the things we learned and about a million special moments from 2026.

This photo is one of them. Our Child Life program gave kids space to play, create, make friends and just be kids (sometimes with a sticker-covered cardboard fort, a bag of chips and a whole lot happening on the floor).

We have SO much more from San Antonio that we can’t wait to share. So consider the conference officially over… but our One Rb World camera roll is going to be working overtime for a while. We hope you’ll enjoy looking back with us as much as we’ll enjoy sharing it all.

https://wechope.org/

Just a few days ago, our community was together in San Antonio sharing experiences, learning from one another, hearing from survivors and families, and connecting with experts from around the world.

Gatherings like this take a tremendous amount of support to make happen.

We’re incredibly grateful to our Gold Sponsor, the Danhakl Family Foundation, whose generosity helped make One Rb World 2026 possible. Their support helped us create a space where families, survivors, clinicians, researchers and advocates could come together both in person and virtually.

Thank you for investing in this community and helping us bring One Rb World to so many people this year. ❤️🎗️ Our appreciation goes far beyond words!