For the past six months, Deprise has been experiencing problems with her eye and even began to lose partial vision. My sweet 25 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma in her left eye. 


This eye cancer is  potentially lethal - especially if it spreads to her liver, and the doctors hadn't discovered the choroidal tumor until last month.  We've learned there were "markers" that were signs that Deprise could have eye cancer.  Since birth, she's had a beautiful dark spot in the brown area of her iris.  We didn't think much of this, but we thought it was cool and interesting.  Our family talked about it over the years and were mystified by it. This week her eye surgeon, Dr. Arun D. Singh, told her he immediately recognized another marker for potential cancer- a faint green color in the skin of her upper eyelid. Sadly, we couldn't have known these were signs of possible eye cancer. 


Thankfully, surgery is taking place soon! Radioactive seeds are attached to one side of a disc and sewn directly on the outside wall of the eye near the tumor. It aims radiation at the tumor and it will continuously administer concentrated radiation to thetumor and hopefully destroy it. If it isn't stopped now, it may go to her liver, and then follow to her other organs like the lungs, bones and brain. The surgery is so important to her health and even her survival. The surgery is not guaranteed to completely destroy the tumor, and there is a possibility of her losing her eyesight completely in the affected eye.


Deprise's recovery from surgery could be lengthy; it may be a few months before she is back to her regular routine.  Our family is hoping that friends, family, and our community will understand this critical need while she is healing from cancer surgery.


 In the coming months, she will meet with her oncology medical team to watch for the possibility of the cancer spreading to her head and organs. During the first year after surgery, she will be reevaluated every 3 months for the possible spread of cancer. The following year she'll be evaluated every 6 months. These evaluations will continue for the next 5 years. Any support we can give, will help ease her of the burden brought on by this  costly treatment.   Contributed funds will help cover the out of pocket expenses of this surgery that is so important to her health and survival. Financial support will put her mind at ease regarding housing, utilities, food, and travel expenses for her reoccurring appointments to the eye specialist team.  Without this huge burden, she can heal peacefully without the worry of day to day-month to month expenses.


Please include our lovely, witty, and vibrant Deprise in your thoughts and prayers today and everyday. She is a joy in all of our lives.  She is so strong and wants to kick this cancer to the curb.  She will do it too! Whatever you can send for support, even if it is just thoughts and prayers, it will make a difference in her recovery and help her toward a bright future.

Thank you everyone, from the bottom of our hearts, for your love and encouragement.