Buffy Marie Burgess

This journey began back in April when I noticed a red spot on Tim’s left eye. At that point the “spot” wasn’t causing him any pain or discomfort and wasn’t distorting his vision in any way. We were both due for our annual eye appointments anyway, so we scheduled those. After being seen by our regular eye doctor, who attempted to treat it with steroid drops (to no avail), we were referred on to Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology tried several different courses of treatment, again to no avail, and eventually determined that because the spot had grown into a mass, was beginning to cause discomfort and distort his vision, that it needed to be surgically removed and as soon as possible. There are only 3 Ophthalmologic Surgeons in the state of Vermont who are qualified for such a surgery. Long story long… the soonest we could schedule the surgery was Monday, August 18, 2025 at University of Vermont Medical Center, Fanny Allen Campus. The surgery was successful and the mass was removed, fairly easily. The mass was then sent on to pathology. On Thursday, August 21, 2025 we got devastating news… he’s been diagnosed with Malignant Uveal Melanoma. Ocular Melanoma is a very rare, very serious type of eye cancer. The thing is… now they’re unsure of whether it’s actually uveal or conjunctival. All docs thus far are leaning towards conjunctival, which is considerably worse. “Current standard treatment for conjunctival melanoma is wide local excision with adjuvant therapy, including brachytherapy, cryotherapy and topical application of chemotherapeutic agent.” He started Chemotherapy (delivered by eyedrops) the very next day, 08/22/25. These drops are made specifically for Tim and come from a special compounding pharmacy. Those were administered by me, 4X/day for 14 days. This was awful, for both of us. He was then instructed to take a week off for recovery and then restart. All of that depending on how he reacted to the treatment. Well, he handled the 14 days of Chemotherapy drops like a champ, but it was not without a lot of pain and difficulty. Just after starting the week off of the drops, we were finally seen by Oncology (general at UVMMC). Per the Oncologist, we collectively decided to pause the Chemo until we see the Ocular Oncologist. There are no Ocular Oncologists in the state of Vermont, so we have to travel to Boston, Mass General. That appointment is now scheduled for September 23, 2025. The issue now is that the Ophthalmologic Surgeon and the Oncologist at UVMMC don’t seem to agree on the best course of treatment. Ophthalmology wants him back on the Chemo drops immediately and Oncology says he can wait until the 23rd to see what the Ocular specialist says. So, we follow up at UVMMC tomorrow with his Ophthalmologist and go from there. It’s been a roller coaster for sure! The other massive step that we’re waiting on is the PET Scan. This will tell us if the cancer has spread or metastasized and should give us more information on staging, size, etc. Pretty much everything hinges on the PET Scan, which is scheduled for September 24, 2025. He’s also scheduled for an MRI of his brain (10/9/25), an Ocular MRI (10/17/25) and an abdominal CT on 10/6/25. He also checks in with Dr. Borazzo (GI at UVMMC) on 10/13/25 in regards to an adrenal tumor that we’ve been dealing with for quite some time now, as it could be involved here. As of right now, he has 10 appointments coming up in the next month. Tests, follow ups, etc. It’s a lot. The travel alone is incredibly exhausting, not to mention expensive. Our car is also in need of some pretty major repairs that we simply can’t afford, so we travel, fingers crossed that we get back and forth safely. For those of you who are not familiar with us and our situation personally… Tim and I have been together since 2010 (technically even before that, but…) We married on January 15, 2017. It was the best day of my life, I married my best friend. We spend pretty much all day, every day together, as we are both on Disability. He has a significant heart condition and I’m Epileptic. He spends his days working as a Criminal Justice Advocate, tirelessly working to help the underserved inmate population, their families and loved ones. He’s amazing. I spend my days taking care of our little family as best I can. I’ve been ill for 5+ years with a serious, undiagnosed GI condition. In a nutshell, I am unable to keep anything down, whether that be food or liquid. This has caused significant weight loss, hair loss, tooth decay, muscle deterioration, etc. I live in a constant state of exhaustion, fatigue and weakness as I am unable to fuel my body. I had also been scheduled for a 4th ankle surgery on 08/25/25, as I have broken hardware in my foot, but that has been put off for now. What matters now is that we move forward, one step at a time and all focus falls to him and this battle. We will not relent until he is cancer free! Anyone who knows Tim knows that he is not only kind, generous, loving and warm, but also incredibly resilient. He’s the best human I know. This life of his has dished out WAY more difficulty than anyone deserves, yet he remains unwavering in his character. We survived before this on just our 2 SSDI incomes, making our financial life a constant challenge. I manage our finances and somehow I’ve managed to keep us afloat, but this diagnosis brings all new financial challenges with it. We need help and we need it fast. We are, of course, reaching out to organizations for assistance as well. Your love and support during this very difficult time are essential. Support of any kind is so greatly appreciated! Please understand that we will keep you updated as we’re able to, but things are moving at the speed of light and we are both incredibly exhausted by the process. With immense gratitude for your time and consideration <3