Brian Barso | Retinoblastoma Forms, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Support

Retinoblastoma is a form of rapidly developing cancer that grows on the retina, the tissue with a role to detect colour and light. The condition usually affects the children under the age of five and rarely causes a problem for adults. Still, around 40-50 new retinoblastoma cases arise every year in the UK alone.

Retinoblastoma is a treatable condition provided it is diagnosed early, or else it may spread to other organs and turn into a life-threatening disease.

Different Types of Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma has two different types, namely non-inheritable and inheritable. The non-inheritable form is more common and occurs in around 55% of retinoblastoma patients. It is important to understand that all cancer types are genetic in the sense that they require mutations of the genome to survive, but this doesn’t qualify to the fact that all cancer types are heritable (transmitted to newborns).

Retinoblastoma may affect one eye or both. When it is bilateral (affects both eyes), it is usually inherited, but is less common and only occurs in 25% of retinoblastoma patients.

Common Signs and Symptoms

While signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma may vary from patient to patient, some main signs stay the same. Some of the common signs include red eyes, eye pain with swelling, and eyes that cannot see in one direction or lose their focus. Yet another major sign is a whitish pupil, especially when the doctor points light to the eye. If you take a flash photo and the pupil is white instead of being red (the usual red eye effect), it may be a sign of retinoblastoma.

If you experience any of these signs and symptoms in your child, immediately get in touch with your paediatrician to rule out the possibility of having a tumour. As retinoblastoma is not that common, your doctor may first look for other common eye disorders to know what’s causing problem. In case retinoblastoma runs in your family, it makes sense to have your child’s eyes examined regularly to ensure it’s not too late to treat.

Diagnosis

Mainstream imaging tests and eye exams will help diagnose retinoblastoma, but the ophthalmologist may use special equipment to deeply analyse your retina. He/she will take other tests like MRI scans, CT scans, ultrasound, bone scans, etc., if they find retinoblastoma in the first place. These tests help determine the spread of the tumour as well as its stage.

Support

Discovering that your child is a victim of retinoblastoma would be extremely upsetting, but you can consider attending some support centres or charities to get the kind of emotional and financial support you need to sail through the tough times. One good option is PoppyBelleDreams, an organisation founded by Brian Barso who decided to start this charity to offer financial support to parents after he saw her daughter fighting with the same condition. Get more details at the website to know how Brian Barso and his organisation can help families deal with this terrible condition.

Brian Barso | Nutrition in Children with Retinoblastoma

Proper nutrition is essential for any growing child, but it is all the more important when your little one suffers from retinoblastoma – or any other form of cancer, for that matter. Cancer treatment can affect your child’s appetite and his ability to use nutrients.

The Benefits of Proper Nutrition

A child’s nutritional needs during retinoblastoma treatment may vary from case to case (depending on the treatment approach chosen and other factors), and, therefore, your doctor, together with a registered dietician, can put together a detailed diet plan to help your little one cope better. Eating well during retinoblastoma treatment can help your child:

•   Heal faster
•   Have better energy and strength
•   Better tolerate treatment and its side effects
•   Avoid infections during treatment
•   Grow and develop properly
•   Sleep better
•   Have a better quality of life overall

Nutritional Needs When Under Retinoblastoma Treatment

Even though every child suffering from cancer may have different nutritional needs, in most cases, they will all need good hydration and increased intake of protein, carbs and healthy fats.

Hydration

Children under retinoblastoma treatment (or any other form of cancer treatment) often lose a lot of water either simply by not drinking enough or due to the side effects of the therapy. The best way to get the necessary fluids is drinking bottled or filtered water, but other sources, such as fresh, natural juices and clear broths are also great.

Protein

Protein is very important for the body to grow, build blood cells, repair tissues and strengthen the immune system. Proper protein intake will help your child recuperate faster from the side effects of the treatment, while also preventing infection.

Carbohydrates

Carbs provide cells with the energy needed to maintain proper organ function. While a healthy child needs more calories per pound than us, adults, in order to support proper development, children suffering from retinoblastoma may need even higher amounts, to increase energy levels and aid the healing process.

Fats

Fats insulate tissues, help store energy and carry vitamins throughout the bloodstream. What’s more, they are a rich source of calories, thus being even more helpful if your little one is losing weight because of the treatment. However, make sure your child gets unsaturated fats, which are the healthiest.

Final Thoughts

Besides the already costly treatment, ensuring your child’s proper nutrition during this difficult period can add quite a lot to the financial burden. If you cannot cope with all the expenses, you can turn to support centres or charities for help. One such organisation is PoppyBelleDreams, founded by Brian Barso, who too has a daughter suffering from retinoblastoma. Knowing how difficult it can be to have a child suffering from this terrible condition, Brian Barso has set up the charity to offer financial support to families in similar situations.

Brian Barso | Helping Your Child Eat Well During Retinoblastoma Treatment

When a child doesn’t feel well, it can be difficult to get them to eat. And if they suffer from retinoblastoma, because of the treatment’s side effects, their appetite can be all the more reduced. Here are a few tips to help your child eat more.

General Tips for Decreased Appetite

1. Serve your child smaller, more frequent meals instead of 3 large ones per day. Also, a good idea would be to place the food on smaller plates, as a large plate may overwhelm a child with decreased appetite.
2. Don’t force your child to eat. This may reduce their appetite even more.
3. Hydration is very important for a child under retinoblastoma treatment, but it’s best not to offer fluids with meals. Liquids can make your little one feel full faster. Serve the drinks in between the meals.
4. Make meals fun. Serve the food on colourful plates or use sets with your child’s favourite cartoon characters. Use cookie cutters to cut the food into nice shapes and learn how to make fun faces out of fruits and vegetables.
5. Give your child the biggest meal when they are at their hungriest. For example, if are hungry during the afternoon, turn the afternoon snack into the biggest meal.
6. Always have some healthy snacks ready. If your child suddenly gets hungry, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to offer them the much needed nutrients.
7. Try blander food. During treatment, your child may become sensitive to strong tastes and smells. Preparing plain meals such as pasta, rice or soups may help in these situations.

Helping Your Child Eat If He Has Mouth Sores

Some retinoblastoma treatments may cause mouth sores as a side effect, especially when they involve chemotherapy. Here are a few tips to make meal times easier on your child in such situations:

1. Cut food into small pieces or use soft foods, to make chewing easier for your little one
2. Serve the meals at room temperature – hot foods will most likely irritate your child’s mouth even further
3. Add gravy or sauces to food to make it easier to swallow
4. Give your child peach, apricot or pear nectar – it will have a soothing effect
5. Avoid salty, spicy or dry foods and citrus fruits, as they can irritate the mouth

Retinoblastoma treatment may already be a huge financial burden for you, and making sure your child eats well during this difficult period can increase your expenses considerably. Organizations such as PoppyBelleDreams, founded by Brian Barso, can offer you the financial and moral support you need.

The charity set up by Brian Barso is named after his daughter, who also suffers from retinoblastoma. Its goal is to gather donations and use them to help families with similar problems get through this incredibly difficult period more easily

Brian Barso – Tangible Asset Investment Beats Recession

The global economic crisis has resulted in a poor period of time for professional investors and savers alike, with low returns on bank deposits and a stock market which has been volatile at best, meaning that many financial investments are more likely to lose money than to make it. In times of recession the attraction of tangible assets rises, with investors seeing these as a long term investment which, while it may drop in value before it rises, will not simply disappear like some investments. Investors sinking their money into assets such as gold, wine, stamps, rare instruments, jewellery and in particular classic cars over the past decade have seen a far higher return on investment than most. Classic cars head the list of most profitable investments, with figures showing a rise across the market in value of 430% in the ten year period ending in June 2013. Research by the private bank Coutts since 2005 shows that in seven and a half years, classic cars have returned an average of 237%, classic watches returned 176% and jewellery, 146%. The index of fifteen ‘passion assets’ which includes fine art, wine and other trophy assets rose as a whole by 82%, compared to just a 53% rise in the global MSCI All-Country Stock Market index.

Investment in passion assets often involves a lot more than price appreciation. The majority of collectors of fine art or classic cars do so for a love of the assets themselves more than a desire for profit, and for the opportunity to bond with like-minded people in an ‘elite’ network. The collection of tangible assets as an investment requires in-depth knowledge of the products and the market trends. Enthusiasts are usually more than happy to acquire this knowledge through hours, days, weeks and even years of research. For those looking to invest in a classic car collection without the hassle, Brian Barso has founded the company Bespoke Classic Car Collections. Brian Barso specialises in sourcing appropriate classic cars from around the globe for private high net worth investors seeking to create a collection of tangible assets which has a high likelihood of appreciating in value over a relatively short time period. With average classic car values growing at a rapid rate there has never been a better time to invest.