When Adelaide was only two years of age, her mum noticed that her pupil was complete transparent. It was Christmas eve, and the little girl from South Australia was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. This rare form of eye cancer, affects children and in countries like Australia, the survival rate is almost 100%.
Adelaide was treated by Sight For All’s Chairman and a Founder, Dr James Muecke AM. Only days after her diagnosis, Adelaide’s eye was removed, along with the cancer. She had a prosthetic eye placed and now, as a 16 year old, Adelaide enjoys a healthy, cancer-free life.
Adelaide’s story is unique in Australia, but sadly, survival rates for children with retinoblastoma in developing countries is far lower.
In 2013, Adelaide entered a poem about losing her eye in a national competition, Write4Fun, and placed as a finalist in her age group. Adelaide was also nominated for a Child of Courage Pride of Australia Award in 2013.
Her poem is below.
My Blue Eyes
A poem by Adelaide Williams
Once I had two eyes,
The colour of them was blue.
They were very pretty,
They were also very new.
But something wasn’t right,
Something deadly, something wrong.
It was cancer they told me,
I may not live very long.
We prayed lots and lots,
That there would be a cure.
I had faith in God
For strength to endure.
I did lose my eye
At the end of the day.
But I am happy and alive,
It was a small price to pay.