Spring 2008
Maria Pezzente
The Global Eye.
Welcome
Eye Contact
Jeff Healey Concert
Bowling for Africa
San Francisco Meeting
Research Matters
Mosaicism.
Eyes on the World
China
Rati’s Challenge
In the Spotlight
Abby
Linda
Focused Care Q&A
Pain
The Art of Child Life
Pain Management
Snap Shot
India
World Rb Citizen
Maria Pezzente
Kids Corner
Bugs.and Butterflies
Points of View
Have Your Say
Diary Dates
Upcoming Events
Can one person make a difference in the world of RB? Maria Pezzente proves she can.
Leo’s Story
While looking at photos of their son, Leo, Maria and her husband noticed a strange white glow present in his eye. Unsettled, they performed an internet search, found the "photographing Retinoblastoma" page on this website and learned that the white pupil could be a sign of retinoblastoma.
Doctors at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto later diagnosed Leo with trilateral retinoblastoma.
Recognizing how dangerously easy it would be for other parents to miss a white pupil as a sign of cancer, Maria has made it her mission to raise public awareness of photoleukocoria.
Raising Awareness in the Community
Maria is determined to raise awareness of retinoblastoma among the general public. Not just locally in her home country of Canada, but at the global level.
With a letter writing campaign highlighting Leo’s story and the major role a photograph played in his diagnosis, Maria points out the fact that parents are most often the first to notice signs of retinoblastoma. She stresses that in educating the public by targeting people buying cameras, editing images and developing photographs, parents could be made aware of the potential implications of a white pupil in a child’s photograph, leading to earlier diagnosis for children with retinoblastoma.
Maria has sent letters to the Photo Marketing Association (PMA), a professional trade association that links the world’s photo-imaging specialists. Black’s Photography has also responded to her letters. The Canadian retail chain that offers photo-finishing services and sells camera.
The determined mum has also targeted internet based photo-developing sites in an attempt to reach a broader audience. Her more recent efforts have included sending 700 letters to the headquarters of 40 international imaging corporations, including photography giants Kodak, Canon, Nikon and Sony, as well as large retail chains that offer photofinishing, such as Tesco, Shoppers Drug Mart and Wal-Mart.
Successes
Maria’s awareness campaign has already generated a number of successes. The PMA issued a press release about retinoblastoma at their industry convention in Las Vegas earlier this year, and Leo’s story was featured in the newsletter of PMA Australia. Online photodeveloping site Fotosource (http://www.fotosource.com/) and Precision Camera and Video (http://www.precision-camera.com/news/) have featured Maria’s letter on their homepages.
In April 2008, Leo was featured on the Dreamkids Blog (http://dreamkids-blog.blogspot.com/), and his story was also featured in a publication of London Drugs, a Canadian drug store chain. The article will soon be reprinted by the journal Pediatrics, the official publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Additionally, UK-based Tesco, the world’s 4th largest retail chain, will feature Leo’s story on their photo-finishing website. Thanks to Maria's letters, the company is now working with the UK based Childhood Eye Cancer Trust to develop materials for use on their website.
The company’s web hosting service also hosts the photo-finishing websites of many other large retail chains. They have pledged to urge their clients to also raise photoleukocoria awareness through their online services.
Maria continues to be an inspiration for the retinoblastoma community worldwide, not only as an avid leader of a successful awareness campaign, but also as a devoted mother to her precious son, Leo. Congratulations Maria on being nominated for the award of World RB Citizen 2008!
To find out more about the World Rb Citizen Award, or to make a nomination, please visit the .WRbC section on our website.
Privacy | Terms Of Use | Disclaimer | Site Map | About This Site
Your computer must be running Java to view certain elements of this website.
Please click here for information about how to switch on Java.