Facebook Helps Mom Save Baby's Life

Elise Solé
Updated
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Joanna Murphy’s infant daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with eye cancer after the mom read an article on Facebook. (Photo: Joanna Usher/Facebook)

Facebook is often a subject of controversy, but the site recently scored a win by helping to save a little girl’s life.

An Arizona mom named Joanna Murphy was scrolling through her Facebook feed when she spotted an article about a woman who, after seeing an unusual photo of her niece, helped diagnose a serious eye condition in the girl. The story made Murphy pause — she had also seen something odd in photos of her infant daughter Elizabeth. “I thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting, we have some pictures that my mom has taken of [Elizabeth], some flash photos where I’ve seen that kind of white glow come out of her right eye,'” Murphy told Phoenix news station KPHO on Thursday.

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Murphy (who did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo Parenting) took her daughter to a pediatric eye specialist, who diagnosed Elizabeth with a condition called retinoblastoma. It’s a rare type of eye cancer, in the retina, that’s treatable if caught early. “There was quite a big tumor, [sic] that her retina had been fully detached and probably for some time,” Murphy said. “I really think that article was put in front of me for a reason, and we were fortunate to catch it as early as we did because how is a little baby going to tell you, 'Hey, I can’t see out of my eye.’”

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Doctors removed Elizabeth’s eye two months ago, but according to her mom, her daughter doesn’t seem phased. “She just amazes us, you know,” says Murphy. The little girl will be fitted with a prosthetic eye next month.

While Murphy’s experience may sound rare, hers is the latest example of parents diagnosing pediatric eye conditions with the help of Facebook. In April 2014, Tennessee mom Tara Taylor posted a photo of her 3-year-old daughter Rylee on Facebook, and friends began commenting that Rylee’s eye was glowing. Taylor sought medical attention and doctors diagnosed the toddler with Coat’s syndrome, which can lead to blindness. And U.K. mom Michele Freeman’s daughter Grace was diagnosed with retinoblastoma after a friend spotted a Facebook photo of the toddler in which her pupil was white (rather than showing the “red-eye” effect.) Freeman discovered that Grace had two tumors, and she wound up losing her sight in one eye. Doctors said if the photo hadn’t been flagged, the situation would have been fatal.

Fortunately, all the children’s conditions were treated, thanks to fast-acting Facebook users. And science substantiates their efforts: According to a study published in the journal PLoS ONE which analyzed 7,000 photos of babies’ eyes, it’s possible to identify clues that diagnose retinoblastoma through digital photos. Additionally, Popular Science notes the eyes of people with Coat’s disease appear obviously yellow.

Now you don’t need an excuse to post cute kid photos online.

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