Brave Oswestry twin Luke cuts ribbon at new store
A five-year-old boy, who suffered from a rare form of eye cancer, and his twin brother were the guests of honour at the opening of a new opticians in Shropshire.
Luke Jones, his non-identical twin brother Ben and their parents Laura and Paul, joined store staff to cut the ribbon and declare the Vision Express store in Oswestry, officially open.
Luke, from Oswestry, owes his life not only to his vigilant parents, but to skilled opticians who discovered that he had cancer.
The family now campaign for the research and screening of the rare form of eye cancer.
They were invited to be the VIP guests to represent the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (Chect), which is a nominated charity of Vision Express.
Luke was diagnosed with an eye cancer called unilateral retinoblastoma at aged two which resulted in the removal of one of his eyes.
When Mr Jones, from Monkmoor Road in Oswestry, became worried about Luke's right eye his wife took their son to their doctor, who could find no problems.
Mrs Jones said: "Paul insisted that we didn't stop there and an optician gave Luke an eye test.
"Further tests showed a growth at the back of the eye and immediately referred Luke to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where an ophthalmologist diagnosed that Luke had no sight in that eye as a result of a cancerous tumour, retinoblastoma.
Mrs Jones recalled that the news was terrifying.
"Everything happened so quickly," she said. "He was sent to Birmingham Children's Hospital for treatment.
"His right eye was removed to eradicate the cancer, and he was fitted with a false one.
"It was not a good time but the cancer was contained within the eye.
"Further tests at this stage revealed that Luke's condition was genetic but, thankfully, Ben has been checked and has no problems."
The youngster and his family officially opened the store in Oswestry following a recent reburbishment and addition of new equipment.
The opticians has pledged to fundraise for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust hoping to raise £1,000 over the next 12 months to help support families and fund vital research into retinoblastoma.
Mrs Jones said: "Luke's condition, if not identified when it was, could have been much worse.
"It is so it is important people are aware of the importance of eye exams, and that they are readily available."
She said it was her husband, Paul, who was concerned about Luke's sight and said their son should be checked over by an optician.
The eye examination, which is easy to organise, immediately spotted a serious problem.
Store manager John Griffiths said: "I've been working at this store since it opened in 1981, and we have an experienced team which has collectively provided vision care to Oswestry for over 50 years.
"We're delighted that as Vision Express we can continue to provide the same high level of service our customers know us for, with an offering which now includes sophisticated screening equipment and a wide selection of frames."
