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Spring’s Story (Melanoma)

Black Melanoma RibbonI was 27 and I was going into the eye doctor for my yearly eye exam. During my check up my Dr told me that I had a detached retina and was concerned. I got a little nervous and he referred me to a retina specialist to check it out further.  A couple days later I went to the specialist. During the exam he took some pictures of my eye and what not then gave the news. You have cancer. I had a tumor that was 8 mm in size growing in my eye pushing on my retina and it was melanoma. What made it worse he said it could have came from somewhere else in my body or that it could just be in my eye. He then referred me the the Mayo Clinic.

I had to wait a couple weeks to get into there so I was going crazy, and crying and wondering why it happened to me! And the news came just a short time before my 28th birthday.  When the time came to go the the Mayo Clinic we found out more news on the tumor. It was only in my eye thankfully, BUT melanoma has to be kept a clost eye on cuz it likes to spread to the liver or the lungs. And the treatment for the tumor was radation and I could keep my eye. So after that visit we made the apt to get the surgery/radation done and was back there in a week. I spent a week in the hospital with a bottle cap full of radioactive beads sewed onto the back of my eye ball to treat the tumor. Then they took it off and sent me home.

During all of that I had to post pone my wedding. And every 6 months I go back to the Mayo for re-checks and make sure the tumor is shrinking and that the cancer does not spread. So far all is going well! But I have lost quite a bit of eye sight. I now have to get injections into my eye to help with that every 6 weeks. But they help!

It took a year of trying to get over and to accept the fact that I had cancer. And realize that I was still here, I still had my health and my eye, and it could have been a lot worse. I could not have gotten through it without my husband (we just got married!). He was there with me every step of the way.

Spring
Submitted 8-16-10

This article is intended to convey general educational information and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

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