I lost my eye aged four due to a rare cancer and was nicknamed Mike Wazowski at school – but now I feel beautiful
- Katie Elliot, 20, from Glasgow, lost her eye aged four due to a rare cancer at four
- Read More: Woman diagnosed with cancer just after her 21st birthday reveals how her little sister saved her life
A woman who lost her eye aged four due to a rare cancer has revealed how she was nicknamed ‘Mike Wazowski’ at school – but says she now feels ‘beautiful’.
Katie Elliot, 20, from Glasgow, Scotland, had her right eye removed when she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma – a rare eye cancer – after her mum spotted her pupil changing shape.
Following a year of treatment, Katie was given the all clear aged five but had to adapt to life without the vision in her right eye.
Katie suffered bullying growing up such as kids calling her Mike Wazowski – a character in the film Monsters, Inc. – which led her to cry in the bathroom alone.
But she says the comments have since made her ‘stronger’ – and didn’t stop her pursuing her horse riding hobby.
Katie Elliot, 20, from Glasgow, Scotland, who lost her eye aged four due to a rare cancer was nicknamed ‘Mike Wazowski’ at school – but says she now feels ‘beautiful’
Katie had her right eye removed when she was four and got diagnosed with retinoblastoma – a rare eye cancer – after her mum spotted her pupil changing shape.
Despite the change in her depth of perception from losing the vision in her right eye, Katie has competed and won many horse riding competitions – including winning the whole day at the East Kilbride rural show in 2020.
She has worn prosthetic eyes for the last 15 years but is now finding the confidence to be seen without one – and has signed to a modelling agency.
Katie, a part-time golf club supervisor, said: ‘Growing up at school I got called names.
‘They would call me Mike Wazowski because I had one eye. Or people would say ‘one eyes looking to the shop and one eyes looking at you’.
‘I used to cry in the bathroom. It’s made me a stronger person. I honestly didn’t think I’d have done the things I have done.
Katie’s mum, Gillian Elliott, 43, spotted her pupils were changing shape and that her eye would get ‘gunky’ and decided to take her to the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London
He says the comments have since made her ‘stronger’ – and didn’t stop her pursuing her horse riding hobby
Following a year of treatment, Katie was given the all clear but had to adapt to life without the vision in her right eye
‘I’m more confident now and feel beautiful.’
Katie’s mum, Gillian Elliott, 43, spotted her pupils were changing shape and that her eye would get ‘gunky’ and decided to take her to the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London.
Doctors ran a test and discovered Katie, who was just four at the time, had a 1cm grade a tumour in her right eye and diagnosed her with retinoblastoma in May 2007.
They told Katie and her family there was no chance of saving her right eye and she had an operation to remove it that same month.
Katie said: ‘The tumour was putting a lot of pressure on my eye which caused a lot of pain.
‘They told my family there was no chance of saving the eye.’
Following the operation Katie underwent chemotherapy to treat the cancer cells in her body and will be cancer free for 15 years in May this year.
Katie and her mum, Gillian, were worried she wouldn’t be able to ride a horse again – something she had been doing for as long as she can remember.
Katie said: ‘I’ve done horse riding probably since I was born.
Following the operation Katie underwent chemotherapy to treat the cancer cells in her body and will be cancer free for 15 years in May this year
Katie’s vision loss means she can be ‘clumsy’ but it hasn’t stopped her gaining her driving licence or doing the things she wants
‘They were all worried I wouldn’t be able to ride again because my depth of perception had changed.
‘But I’ve won a lot of horse riding competitions. I used to have a one wall in my bedroom full of medals and rosettes.’
Katie’s vision loss means she can be ‘clumsy’ but it hasn’t stopped her gaining her driving licence or doing the things she wants.
She said: ‘I tend to walk into things a lot on my right side. I’m clumsy sometimes.’
It has taken a while for Katie to find her confidence and she used to want to ‘hide’ her face.
After finding others like her on social media Katie has built her confidence and has even had the courage to post photos of herself without her prosthetic
WHAT IS RETINOBLASTOMA?
Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer that usually affects children under the age of five.
As it is usually caught early in the UK, 98 per cent of children with the disease are successfully treated.
About 50 children develop the condition every year in Britain.
It affects up to 300 youngsters annually in the US.
Retinoblastoma is specifically a cancer of the retina, which is the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye.
It can affect one or both eyes.
A fault gene is responsible in about 40 per cent of cases. This can be inherited from the sufferer’s parents or may occur spontaneously.
The most common symptoms are the pupil looking like a cat’s eye and the child developing a squint.
The cat eye look is most commonly seen in photos.
Small tumours can usually be treated with laser or freezing treatment.
Larger tumours may require chemotherapy or surgery.
Source: NHS Choices
She said: ‘After the harsh comments I used to have long brown hair and I used to try and cover the right side of my face so no one would notice it as much.’
But after finding others like her on social media Katie has built her confidence and has even had the courage to post photos of herself without her prosthetic.
Katie said: ‘I was really nervous but I go so much love. I feel a lot more beautiful.’
Katie has since signed to modelling agency Zebedee – an agency committed to changing the way disability, visible difference and gender identity – in February 2023. Her main goal is to help prevent bullying.
She said: ‘What makes you different, makes you unique.’
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