A Reflection from Team KTG

Hey !

2022 has been a busy year filled with new international awareness campaigns, amazing new Glow stories, and wonderful new KTG team members! We want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for your unwavering support and reflect on all that we as a community have achieved these past few months.

Moments like these remind us why we do the work that we do.

We are excited to share the results from the awareness campaign just completed in Croatia. This online awareness campaign achieved more than 810,000 impressions throughout the month of May! Below are a few of our top-performing posts.

We want to thank the many Croatian families who support our endeavors and have joined the Know The Glow community as translators and advocates.

One mother from Croatia, Ana Sebrek, became actively involved with KTG during her family’s journey, and has now become an Ambassador for the Balkan region. Ana’s continued involvement will help us work with even more families, doctors, and NGOs from that part of the world.

Know the Glow recently launched our second campaign in India. After great success with our first campaign in 2021, we are excited to share that we have already reached over 1.2 million people in this second effort!

With campaigns in North America and Canada coming to a close, and a campaign in Oceania which began at the start of this month, KTG is continually sharing stories and sight-saving knowledge with families all over the world.

We are thrilled to once again partner with Jimmy Choo for Know the Glow’s 7th Annual Fundraiser, and hope you’ll join us on World Sight Day, Thursday, October 13 for an elegant evening of shopping, light bites, and cocktails at Jimmy Choo in Beverly Hills.

With the new Jimmy Choo location (and our renewed enthusiasm to come together for friendship and fun!), we are delighted to kick off the holiday season and raise funds to help KTG reach more children in more countries in the year ahead.

Thanks to your support and Jimmy Choo’s, KTG volunteers, doctors, patient families, and researchers are able to ensure that more and more parents "Know The Glow" and take action to save their child’s sight. On behalf of the families we are privileged to serve, thank you for being part of this vital work.

Date: Thursday, October 13
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: 250 N Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Buy your tickets now, and skip the lines on the day of the event.
RSVP TODAY BUTTON

Can’t attend? Purchase raffle tickets and support KTG.
BUY YOUR RAFFLE TICKET TODAY BUTTON

Creative inspiration for the “Know the Glow” campaign came from our wonderful team of doctors at CHLA in Los Angeles. The original slogan, “Know About The Glow," was coined by Dr. A. Linn Murphree and shared with Sandra Roderick and Megan Webber, KTG co-founders, when the organization was founded in 2010. The phrase was later shortened to “Know The Glow” and trademarked for safekeeping.

Dr. Murphree understood the importance of finding eye “glows” (leukocoria) in flash photographs of children, and was determined to help us find and assist children at risk of retinoblastoma and other leukocoria-related diseases. Over the years his simple phrase found its way around the world, helping to build awareness and save the sight of children. Dr. Murphree passed away earlier this year, but his voice and his glow slogan will continue to be heard around the world – helping us reach families and guide them to timely treatment.

Read more about our journey with Dr. A. Linn Murphree here: https://knowtheglow.org/our-story/

Our mission at Know The Glow is straightforward and urgent. KTG will carry forward Dr. Murphree’s legacy, words, and commitment to finding and caring for children at risk of glow-related blindness, wherever they may be.

Dr. Murphree will remain in our hearts and our work forever.

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Carol Shields has officially joined the KTG Medical Advisory Board!

The extraordinary Dr. Carol Shields completed her residency in ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia in 1987 and subsequently her fellowship training in ocular oncology, oculoplastic surgery, and ophthalmic pathology. She is currently the Director of the Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital, and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Shields is another legend in the world of Retinoblastoma. She has authored or co-authored 11 textbooks, 323 chapters in edited textbooks, over 1700 articles in major peer-reviewed journals, given nearly one thousand lectures, and has received professional awards too numerous to detail here.

KTG has long admired her inspiring work and the talented team Dr. Shields has built at Wills and we are always happy when we hear our patients have found their way to her for treatment. Dr. Shields has a focus that extends beyond her patients into education and awareness and we are proud, honored, and elated to have her join our Board of Medical Advisors.

Dr. Ashwin Mallipatna is a Pediatric Ophthalmologist and the Head of the Retinoblastoma Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. A world traveler in his own right, Dr. Mallipatna has been making a difference across the world long before beginning to advise KTG on our international outreach efforts. Before coming to Canada, Dr. Mallipatna set up and led a retinoblastoma center in Southern India. In achieving the goal of providing the best evidence-based standard of care to the resource-limited families in India, his friends formed an NGO called the Iksha Foundation in India, facilitating financial help for the treatment and support of children with retinoblastoma in many Indian cities.

Dr. Mallipatna is extremely accomplished with significant academic achievements, including leading the work involved in staging retinoblastoma for the American Joint Committee on Cancer which impacts retinoblastoma management worldwide. In addition, he has a keen interest in the intricacies of red reflexes and leukocoria. With the support of a Thrashers Research Early Career Grant Award, he led work that would promote the early detection of leukocoria using a camera flash. He collaborated with researchers from the Université de Montréal, the University of Toronto, and the University of Adelaide. This work even attracted recognition from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Young Innovators Award in India. With his focus on leukocoria and the importance of early detection, we are looking forward to his suggestions and advice as we continue to build awareness around the world.

After medical studies and residency in Lausanne, Dr. Francis Munier obtained board certification in both ophthalmology and medical genetics. From 1991 to 1993, he received additional training in molecular genetics and pediatric ocular-oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles under the guidance of Dr. A. Linn Murphree. Back in Lausanne, he joined the Retinoblastoma Clinic at Jules Gonin Eye Hospital and founded the first Swiss Ocular-Genetics Unit.

The management of retinoblastoma remains a major focus of his clinical activity. His team has contributed to landmark advances that push the frontiers of conservative management, most notably by introducing techniques for intravitreal and intracameral chemotherapy.

Have You Joined The Glow Community?

I remember when we launched the Know The Glow Community a couple of years ago. There were only a few of us in the Facebook Group, and it felt a bit daunting. Was this going to be the helpful tool we wanted it to be? With over 600 members now, the answer has been a resounding YES! Parents go to Know The Glow Community for help and hope. They share stories, ideas, and support one another. It is a place to learn, to grow, and to work together to Prevent Childhood Blindness.

To join the Know The Glow Community, just go to facebook.com/groups/knowtheglowcommunity and fill out an invite!

The Power of Glow Stories!

You can read the story of a mother who sought out the Know The Glow Glow Stories and found hope! You can read our Glow Stories here: https://knowtheglow.org/category/glow-stories/

“The reason I'm sharing our story is not for sympathy but because, as rare as some of these eye disorders are, I want all of you parents out there to be aware that the absence of a normal red reflex when taking a flash photo, and a new transient or fixed squint, can be indicative of a serious problem with your child's eyes. If in doubt, don't wait. Go straight to the GP/ophthalmologist and have it checked out. Early intervention can be vision and/or lifesaving. Be aware and always KNOW THE GLOW ” - Carley

Read Carley’s full story here: https://www.facebook.com/carley.bailie/posts/4342653992450308

Share!
Know The Glow wants to share stories about children’s vision specifically relating to “the Glow.” If you have a story to share, please reach out to us at info@knowtheglow.org.

Give!
Would you like to help Know the Glow spread awareness of glow related diseases? Click here to help Know the Glow continue spreading the message!

Join!
Want to be part of our community? Join the Facebook “Know the Glow Community” page here to connect with other parents and KTG experts!

Subscribe!
Follow the link here to subscribe to Know the Glow and ensure you keep getting our updates!