The Manila Central University Chapter has diligently dedicated itself  to preventing childhood blindness over the past year. Throughout the year, the organization successfully registered new members, distributed official KTG shirts, and launched dynamic campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. Their efforts extended beyond campus through community outreach programs, collaborating with optometric organizations and participating in events such as World Sight Day and local outreach initiatives in Maysilo, Malabon.

A highlight of their activities was the Glow Detectives’ Seminar held at Helix Auditorium, which brought together aspiring optometry students, healthcare professionals, and delegates from KTG’s newest student chapter, St. Andrew’s College of Nursing (SACON).

Notre Dame and Santa Clara University Students continue to inspire with their work alongside KTG this summer, as we have 10 interns and two fellows working with us this summer!  Joan Playford and Allen Karottu, our ND sponsored Fellows, are contributing extensively to our work daily and to our research as are our ND Alum and continuing volunteers Camey Calzalotto and Sam Dreyer!  Students from the University of Kansas also jumped in to help this summer!  We look forward to preparing for the fall and World Sight Day initiatives with the team and are grateful for their continued support all summer long!  

Our campaigns are making a significant impact in 2024, with successful launches in Nigeria, Brazil, and currently in Korea. Our online reach has already surpassed 14 million year-to-date for our campaigns in Nigeria, Brazil, Korea and our ongoing Africa campaigns.

Thank you for your continued support as we expand our global efforts and raise awareness worldwide.

KTG met with Anogwi Anyanwu, the Incoming District Governor 404 of Lions Club Nigeria, and ten additional district council members, all newly installed on July 1, 2024, at the request of Dr. Lami Ahmed. The purpose of the meeting was to present information about the Glow and the various conditions it can indicate, including retinoblastoma. The Lions Club members plan to bring this knowledge and campaign to the International Convention of Lions Club in Australia, where they will present it to the new leaders, including the international president.

We’re eagerly anticipating the launch of our upcoming campaign in Switzerland.

We look forward to sending updates soon!

This man had been diagnosed with Retinoblastoma (RB), cancer of the eye, when he was 2 years old as well and used TikTok to spread awareness and his story. 

During one trip when Jude was four months of age she asked the doctor to look at his eyes as Melissa had noticed a “white spot” in his pupil during a bath.  No one else in her family had seen it and the pediatrician after looking casually at her son’s eyes told her it was nothing to worry about so she returned home. 

My husband, José and I, first noticed something different in Aurelio’s eye.  While on the changing table, when the light hit his eye in just the right way, his pupil became a different color.  It almost looked like a glow. We found this odd, but didn’t pay much attention to this initial sign.  

When Clelia was 6 months old I noticed a strange light in her right eye. I was not overly worried as I thought that perhaps it was a strange reflection of light because of her blue eyes.  I didn't see that strange light again for a while.  But over time, I did see it a few more times, very sporadically.

Michael's story begins at the tender age of two when he was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma (RB), a rare form of eye cancer shortly after his family immigrated from Nigeria. The diagnosis led to the removal of his left eye, marking the start of a remarkable journey of courage and determination. Despite the initial shock and uncertainty surrounding his condition, Michael's spirit remained unbroken.

Dr. Pefkianaki's journey is one of resilience, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of a vision to transform the Ocular Oncology  Eye Care in Greece, particularly in the realm of childhood blinding eye diseases.

Dr. Marcela Zubieta is a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist for cancer patients, dedicated to enhancing the care and treatment of pediatric cancer patients in Chile.

Dr. Cecelia Ojabo, a distinguished figure in ophthalmology and former Commissioner of Health and Human Services in Benue State, Nigeria, has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between rural communities and essential medical services.

Marianne had been in India for a few months on sabbatical and planned to continue her research in Bolivia and South America afterwards. Dr. Hedlund obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University, Sweden, in 2004.

Megan Webber, Co-Founder of KnowTheGlow, and Helene Dameris, Global Outreach Director, had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Dan Alter, President of Focus Inc.

Prof. Kim’s journey is marked by a commitment to addressing pediatric eye diseases and inherited ocular conditions. At the heart of his practice are patients grappling with congenital cataracts, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), retinoblastoma and variable IRD’s. He also treats approximately 95% of the nation’s most severe pediatric retinal oncology cases, retinoblastoma.

KnowTheGlow is proud to recognize a Nigerian optometry student, Pemije Gadimoh, who was recently recognized for his contribution to the 2024 Health Week by the Nigerian Optometric Students Association (NOSA) at the University of Benin.

Grace has been on an adventure of her own of late as she recently moved to the United States through a program with the Avant Healthcare Professionals passing her exams to become a USRN and committing to a three year contract in the states as a nurse in Petersburg, Virginia!

“My name is Kirsten Ramos and I work at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center as a certified clinical medical assistant in the pediatric clinic. I volunteer round the clock as an area coordinator and dispatcher for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep which does Bereavement Photography for perinatal and NICU loss. I've been with the Health Center since 2022 and the volunteer work I’ve been doing since 2018!"

Close friend of Megan Webber and the Know The Glow Co-Founders since its inception, Caitlin has been involved and supportive of KTG fundraising and awareness since its inception.

Earlier in the summer, Helene Dameris, Director of Global Outreach for KnowTheGlow, attended the EURBG conference in Athens, bringing together ocular oncologists, ophthalmologists, radiologists, and clinical researchers specializing in retinoblastoma from the European region.

Invited to speak on the IAPB’s 2030 Vision In Sight opening day panel on “Act Today - Transform Tomorrow” Megan Webber shared about the importance of collaborative advocacy and was delighted to connect with IAPB member attendees worldwide. With the IAPB’s World Sight Day theme for 2024 announced as “Focus on Children’s Vision” KTG was excited to shine a light on Blindness Prevention for the 0-5 age group and help remind blindness prevention organization attendees to please remember this group in their ongoing initiatives. Attending with Megan was Caitlin Villante, our Partnership Liaison and together they met with multiple IAPB members interested in pediatric avoidable blindness. The event was a huge success and there is much planned ahead working alongside the IAPB and its members in anticipation of World Sight Day.

KTG was delighted to have longtime friend and partner, Sandra Staffieri, represent us at the Kuala Lumpur WCPOS Conference in July, where she presented on the role of digital technology in enhancing awareness and early diagnosis of childhood eye diseases. Congratulations to WSPOS and the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology on their 5th anniversary! The conference successfully highlighted advancements in pediatric ophthalmology.

We’re excited to announce our new partnership with Kids Kicking Cancer-Texas! 

Inspired by the unbounded energy of Brooke and Steve McCauley, KTG is excited to announce our partnership with Kids Kicking Cancer-Texas!  The McCauley’s son, West, has inspired annual events raising funds to support Kids Kicking Cancer, Addis Faith, and to direct funds raised to help children in need of prosthetic eyes in Texas! With 18 children already provided with prosthetic eyes we can’t wait to see what their upcoming August event will bring! Watch for updates and if in Houston come out for an old fashioned rodeo with a vision for a brighter future for children battling eye disease in Texas! 

Pemije Gadimoh and the team at OptoGlobe held a webinar conference in July that brought together members of VOSH and other Global Optometry representatives from around the world. Megan Webber, Jenn Vinola from MCU and longtime KTG friend Yogita Rajgandhi were all speakers throughout the three day event that gathered together Optometry Students internationally to learn about the Global Importance of Optometry.

Team TanzanEye has been busy working on outreach at the Kabanga Referral Hospital in the  Kigoma Region. The team utilized KnowTheGlow messaging and conducted screenings with the ArcLight, identifying children and adults at risk of blinding conditions. Their efforts are making a significant difference in early detection and education on eye health.

KTG was excited to share the first five videos regarding the Glow, leukocoria, and the diseases it can help identify!  Created by five doctors from five nations in Africa sharing sight-saving information for their countries, the videos were created and coordinated by Dr. Karim Assani and the Retinoblastoma Week campaign reached 790,552 people in just seven days with the videos viewed by over 604,565 people. Thank you to Dr. Karim Assani and his team for creating these amazing videos and to all of the doctors who voiced the message of awareness for their countries. We look forward to sharing five more videos during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

Expanded collaboration between partners World Eye Cancer Hope (WE C Hope), the Arclight Project, and KTG are leading in many new directions. Thanks to a triangulated effort between Arclight projects and training have been introduced in Nigeria, Nepal, and Tanzania with more planned for Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana in the future. Looking forward, WE C Hope will kick off their Pacific Rim expansion at the One Retinoblastoma World conference in Hawaii this October. KTG looks forward to attending so watch for more information regarding that event soon as well.

Megan Webber and Helene Dameris recently met with the inspirational Njoki Wachira, a dynamic development specialist with SEVA, to discuss advancing eye care in East Africa. Introduced by the equally inspirational Heidi Chase of SEVA, this meeting highlighted Njoki's impactful work since joining SEVA in January, focusing on Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Malawi. We look forward to more conversations with Team SEVA and friends in the hopes that we can bring more awareness to their work and be additive to their efforts.