Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer where a malignant tumor starts in cells of the retina in the eye and a High River toddler was diagnosed with the disease November 23, 2015.

Carson's Mom Candice says Carson's Father Sean noticed one day that something didn't look right with Carson's eyes.

"His eyes were not tracking the same. His right eye was just a little bit off, and when we took a picture the day of diagnosis the white glow had come back. When I turned off the red eye adjustment on my phone I normally get a red glow and we didn't get that, we got the white glow off of the tumor."

The Doctors also found a low-risk secondary cancer which was an abdominal Neuroblastoma and a Specialist at Children's Hospital arranged to take on Carson's case in Toronto two days later.

She says they have had to travel to Toronto twelve times for chemotherapy but the good news is the tumor continues to shrink.

"We spent the first month of his diagnosis in Toronto. He's flown there twelve times since, so it's been almost ten months of active treatment. There's been some bumps along the way but for the most part the treatment has been working very well for him."

She says  it all started when her husband Sean noticed something unusual about how Carson's eyes were tracking and they had a bad feeling about what was to come.

"We knew that something was up. Our Doctor had immediately given us a referral to Children's in Calgary and our Primary Doctor in Toronto who's actually the best in the world happened to be there that day. She diagnosed him and said we'll see you in Toronto two days from now."

Carson has been described by his Mom as the happiest child in the world, full of courage and spirit that keeps everyone else going.

She says there will be over a year of treatments yet followed by routine examinations in Toronto every 3-6 months and have set up a Go Fund Me page to help offset travel and accommodation expenses and other bills that continue to pile up.

For a link to the go Fund Me Page click here: Help Carson

L to R: Isaac (Carson's brother) and Carson.

L to R: Candice, Isaac, Sean and Carson.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com