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At 38 years old, I went in for what I expected to be a regular eye exam. I, along with my optometrist, was shocked and unbelievably scared. He found a large mass inside the eyeball, made me an immediate appointment with a specialist in Fort Worth and rushed me out the door. It was 4:30pm and the Fort Worth office was closed and waiting for me to arrive.
My diagnosis, Stage IV Ocular Melanoma with extra scleral extension. |
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This cancer is very rare, not much information available, no known causes or prevention, no set treatment, and a very poor prognosis.
I was diagnosed on November 8, 2005, had surgery on November 16th to remove the right eye and tumor, and went thru a daily oral chemo regimen for 12 months. (I was not expected to survive.)
After six months of being cancer free, in June of 2007, my PET scan showed my cancer had returned to the liver. Then, the MRI ruled it out. I turned 40 that June, and the MRI was done on my 40th birthday. I considered it the most blessed birthday ever!
In September, my scans rang true in liver metastases. Again, I refused to accept my prognosis (which was 6-9 months) and began furiously researching what could be done. I felt like I was searching for a miracle.
Finally, I stumbled across a very interesting article about the PHP Clinical Trial* under Dr. Pingpanks’ direction. My Oncologist called NIH and off we went!
After completing 3 PHP treatments, I was told I had lesions on the spine. I was really hoping for a break between cancer battles, but guess not! I am still recovering from PHP 3 and waiting to begin my next battle!
When I began PHP treatment, I had 17 tumors in the liver! Now, there are only 2! I am confident and will continue to fight!
I would like to express how important it is to have your eyes dilated. I hear so many complain they don't have time for the simple process. Dilation opens that "window" to see all sorts of potential problems.
I didn't realize how important it was to have eye checkups. I was under the impression that you had an eye exam when you showed signs of a problem. Eye and skin checkups should be performed just as faithfully as dental care, or regular health checkups.
Joy Ham, Stage IV Melanoma Warrior
*PHP -- Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion is a therapy to treat cancer of the liver. The PHP Clinical Trial Joy is referencing treats melanoma, cutaneous or uveal (eye), that has spread predominately to the liver.
For more info about this treatment and where clinical trials with PHP are located, visit http://www.livercancertrials.com/ or contact Carole Webb—RN, Research Nurse, 301-451-6940 or 1-888-NCI-1937, Webbcc@mail.nih.gov.
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