A toddler's eye has been removed following a battle with cancer - which was only spotted when her parents thought they saw ice in her pupil.

Gina Hickson, from Westgate-on-Sea, first suspected an unusual white glow in her daughter Darcey-Rose's left eye was caused by an accident during a snowball fight.

But when the cloudiness failed to subside the 29-year-old took her to the local GP, believing the youngster might need glasses.

However, they were shocked to be told three-year-old Darcey-Rose actually had retinoblastoma - a rare cancer that typically affects children under six - which spread so aggressively that it forced medics to remove her eyeball.

"We just saw a mass, like a cloud, in her eye," Gina recalled.

"It would change shape depending on where her eye was directed.

"I Googled it and it took me to the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust’s website - which I instantly dismissed.

“After a visit to the doctor, we were referred to ophthalmology. There wasn't a sense of urgency or worry."

The tot was first checked over in February 2021, before being referred to specialists who conducted a series of tests to determine what was wrong.

It was during these assessments that Gina realised Darcey-Rose was blind on one side.

When Gina and her husband, Michael, received the devastating news, the pair say they "broke down" as their "world fell apart".

Darcey-Rose began the first of six rounds of chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London the following month before going into remission.

But doctors later found the tumour had spread around her retina, prompting them to give the youngster a string of chemotherapy injections two months ago.

"We were told Darcey-Rose could either have chemotherapy injections in her eye or have her eye removed, as they had found more cancer," Gina continued.

“We booked her in for the chemotherapy for June 29. Her vision was worth fighting to save.

“But her doctor then said the tumour had spread, and that chemotherapy wasn't the ideal choice any more.

"When they said they were going to have to remove her eye, I felt pure fear."

The clinician fitted Darcey-Rose with a prosthetic.

Despite this, Gina says her little girl "loves sports and horse riding".

Typical signs of retinoblastoma include a white glow that may only appear in certain lights or a change in the organ's appearance.

Gina will be running the London Marathon in October to raise funds for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust - which has supported the family throughout the experience.