Melanoma of the eye, please help
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My name is Cheryl. I am a mother of 1, married to a Marine Corps - Vietnam Veteran . In 2012 my husband and I and our friends started the Veterans Assistance Coalition, which is a 501c3 organization that is partnered with The Salvation Army and VA to provide furniture and household essentials (at no charge to them) to previously homeless veterans who have recently been placed into homes by The VA and/or Salvation Army. We are a non-profit organization. Everyone volunteers their time and even the use of their own vehicles to complete the moving. This means No One gets paid, except for the gratification of helping others. I have spent most of my life volunteering for many different organizations, doing fund raisers for cancer, autism, American Heart Association, and many others. I spent 4 years volunteering for our public school system and sitting on the PTA Board. Both my husband and I belong to Rolling Thunder Florida Chapter 8. Our mission is to educate the public on missing in action and prisoner of war issues, and to help fight for veteran rights. I also work to provide for my family and pay our bills.
Two weeks ago today, May 21, 2015, I went in for what I thought would be a routine eye exam, only to find out that they suspected a cancer of the left eye. Two hours later I was at a Retina Specialist who diagnosed me with malignant melanoma of the left eyeball. This is not a common form of cancer, however, eye specialists are starting to see this more often. I was in shock. In less than 20 hours we were at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. This is where we found out that it is a very large tumor and we had two choices, to remove the eye and implant an artificial eye, or do Proton Beam Therapy. We chose the therapy. There is no guarantee that the treatment will work, but the track record is that they are able to save 90% of the eyes that they treat. If it does not work we will then remove the eye. Even after treatment I will have to do CT scans every 3 months for 1-2 years then every 6 months for the rest of my life. This type of cancer has a high chance of spreading.
We live around 110 miles away from the Mayo Clinic and The Proton Beam Institute. This has already been very costly due to my medical copayments and gas costs for travel, and hotel costs when the doctor does not recommend the long travel between procedures. In the past two weeks we have already made 5 trips up and back, and had to stay over two different times. They have completed the first step, which was surgery to implanting 3 tantalum clips in my eye. These are the markers that indicate where they need to shoot the beams. I will have a couple of weeks to heal before the next step. This form of treatment for cancer of the eye is very new and very expensive. My insurance covers part of the cost but the rest is up to us. I never expected to be the one receiving assistance from others, I have always been the one to give and assist. This means that I will not be able to return to work for awhile.
If you take anything away from this please let it be this, GET AN EYE EXAM, wear sunglasses, and take care of yourself.
Two weeks ago today, May 21, 2015, I went in for what I thought would be a routine eye exam, only to find out that they suspected a cancer of the left eye. Two hours later I was at a Retina Specialist who diagnosed me with malignant melanoma of the left eyeball. This is not a common form of cancer, however, eye specialists are starting to see this more often. I was in shock. In less than 20 hours we were at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. This is where we found out that it is a very large tumor and we had two choices, to remove the eye and implant an artificial eye, or do Proton Beam Therapy. We chose the therapy. There is no guarantee that the treatment will work, but the track record is that they are able to save 90% of the eyes that they treat. If it does not work we will then remove the eye. Even after treatment I will have to do CT scans every 3 months for 1-2 years then every 6 months for the rest of my life. This type of cancer has a high chance of spreading.
We live around 110 miles away from the Mayo Clinic and The Proton Beam Institute. This has already been very costly due to my medical copayments and gas costs for travel, and hotel costs when the doctor does not recommend the long travel between procedures. In the past two weeks we have already made 5 trips up and back, and had to stay over two different times. They have completed the first step, which was surgery to implanting 3 tantalum clips in my eye. These are the markers that indicate where they need to shoot the beams. I will have a couple of weeks to heal before the next step. This form of treatment for cancer of the eye is very new and very expensive. My insurance covers part of the cost but the rest is up to us. I never expected to be the one receiving assistance from others, I have always been the one to give and assist. This means that I will not be able to return to work for awhile.
If you take anything away from this please let it be this, GET AN EYE EXAM, wear sunglasses, and take care of yourself.
Organizer
Cheryl Benson
Organizer
Port Orange, FL
