WHEN young Fintan Morley-Smith was just four months old, his family was faced with the worst nightmare imaginable for any parents.

James and Fiona Morley-Smith discovered their beautiful new baby boy had developed a rare form of eye cancer called retinoblastoma.

And the little boy – now 19-months-old - has bravely battled the condition ever since, overcoming intensive courses of chemotherapy, cryotheraphy and radiotherapy.

James, Fintan's father, spoke of the moment he and mother Fiona found out. He said: “It was just devastating. It was unbelievable. On our drive home Fiona turned to me and said 'is he going to die?' And I just said 'I don't know'.

But as signs look hopeful for Fintan's future, the family, from Coningsby Road, High Wycombe, want other parents to know how to spot the the disease, and to realise how treatable it can be if caught in time.

James is also set to run this year's Flora London Marathon to raise money for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust, which has offered the family support.

He said: “Fintan's incredible. He's been a bit of an inspiration. Running the marathon is going to be hard work, but after seeing what he's been through, it's nothing.”

James and Fiona also want people to know retinoblastoma actually has a 98 per cent survival rate in the UK. And one of the ways of spotting the disease early is simply by carefully checking photographs for a whitish reflection in children's pupils.

Worries first grew for Fintan, who has two brothers – Archie, seven, and Barnaby, four - when Fiona noticed him squinting, and his eyes “wobbling” slightly.

After tests the family was told Fintan had tumours growing on his eyes. The little boy immediately began a gruelling chemotherapy course at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The treatment caused the tumours to crumble. But the fragments, gathering in the bottom of Fintan's eyes, became tiny tumours themselves and had to be treated with a freezing procedure called cryotherapy.

Although Fintan was making progress, the family was dealt another devastating blow in November, when doctors discovered yet more tumours growing.

In the month before Christmas Fintan travelled to St Bartholomews in London every day for intensive radiotherapy treatment, alongside adult patients who couldn't help but be impressed by his fighting spirit.

Fiona said: “He was incredibly brave through it all and a bit of an inspiration to other people in the ward. I think he made a few friends there – he was very cheerful.”

The family is still awaiting results, but is optimistic for the little boy, who has remained impossibly cheerful throughout his ordeal. It is hard to tell how affected his eyesight has been but this will be closely monitored in the future.

But if more treatment is needed, Fintan faces losing one or both of his eyes.

One noticeable sign of retinoblastoma is the appearance of a whitish light in the pupil, like a cat's eye, which can often be spotted with flash photography.

Around one child a week is diagnosed with the condition in the UK. It can affect one or both eyes, and the earlier the condition is diagnosed, the greater the chance of saving the eyesight.

To sponsor James on his marathon run, go to www.justgiving.com/jamesmorleysmith For more information on retinoblastoma, go to www.chect.org.uk, email info@chect.org.uk, or call 020 7377 5578.