A young boy has been left blind in one eye after being diagnosed with a rare condition.
Andrew Norton's became concerned about his two-year-old son Oliver's right eye after noticing he could see into his eyeball. The 39-year-old rushed him to A&E after spotting a white mass at the back of his eye.
Medics told Andrew and his wife Joanne, 37, that Oliver could either have cancer of the retina, known as Retinoblastoma, or Coats' disease - an abnormality of the blood vessels in the back of the eye.
Read more: Blyth trio save baby girl in pushchair after she's blown into hotel pool in Turkey by the wind
The couple, who live in Longbenton, North Tyneside, travelled down to Birmingham Children's Hospital in Birmingham where they were told Oliver had Coats' disease. The condition causes the abnormal blood vessels to become leaky and the retina to lift up, known as retinal detachment.
Little Oliver had to have multiple eye surgeries to reattach the retina and he is sadly unable to see out of his right eye. Andrew, who works as a fleet personnel officer, said: "I was leaning down on the changing table and spotted something different in his eye.
"I could see into his eye. There was a white mass at the back of it. This was apparently his retina, which was detached. He was pain free, thankfully, as he wasn't at an age where he could tell us about it.
"He's had about five procedures under general anaesthetic to reattach his retina. The first two to drain his eye and the subsequent ones using lasers to cauterise the blood vessels to prevent them leaking in the future. It was pretty difficult for a two-year-old to go through."
Five years on, Oliver attends primary school and is a big brother to Andrew and Joanne's second son Toby, four. The youngster, who has just celebrated his seventh birthday, has annual appointments so doctors can check the condition of his eye.
Andrew said: "Oliver's right eye is milky white. You can still tell it's blue but it's a milkier version of it. We can't change his vision, all we can do is keep the eye as healthy as we can.
"They want to keep the pressure in his eyeball stable as fluctuations to this could cause further complications. Thankfully it hasn't affected his other eye and hopefully it won't."
According to the NHS, Coats' disease is a rare condition, affecting 1 in 100,000 people. It is more likely to affect males than females and is most commonly discovered in children before they reach the age of 10.
Andrew is taking on the Great North Run this year to raise awareness of the disease and the impact which it can have on children and their families. He will hand over the donations he raises to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The dad-of-two, who is a member of Tyne Bridge Harriers, said: "I just want to raise awareness of this because you do take sight for granted when you have it. Oliver's normal would be horrible for someone else.
"Though running isn’t new to me, I’m excited for the day of the event as I know the atmosphere will be brilliant. Oliver knows I’ve been inspired to do this because of his sight condition and he’s really proud of his dad."
Andrew said that he is also raising money for the RNIB in memory of Joanne's dad Les Walker, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who passed away earlier this year. He said that Oliver's condition moved his father-in-law and funds were also raised for the charity at his funeral.
Andrew has already managed to raise more than £1,150 on his Just Giving page. He would like to thank his company - Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement - for their support.
Chris Perrin, interim challenge events senior manager at RNIB, said: "The Great North Run is the biggest half marathon in the world, and we are delighted to have Andrew join Team RNIB for this renowned event. Andrew’s fundraising efforts will help us continue to work towards a world without barriers for people living with sight loss. Please dig deep and help us wish Andrew good luck!"
Read more:
'He absolutely loved life' - Bedlington boy, 12, with 'infectious' smile passes away during surgery
Heartbreak as five-year-old Gateshead boy dies in tragic accident involving dinosaur helium balloon
Newcastle couple lose baby boy Hero to rare condition which caused his organs to grow in his chest
Cramlington woman confined to her bed gets new halo - but she still needs £100k lifesaving surgery
