Adventures in Cancerland - the Sequel
As most of you have heard, in April I was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma – eyeball cancer. The diagnosis set off several weeks of travel, treatment, and decisions. And of course, another overwhelming round of generosity and kindness from my friends, family and community. I know many people have questions, so I invite you to peruse the FAQ below. 1. Eyeball cancer? Seriously? Yeah, who even knew? Ocular melanoma is a rare form of skin cancer diagnosed in approximately 6 in 1 million Americans annually. Risk factors include having fair skin and light eyes, and a history of welding or sun/snow burn. Almost 20 years ago an optometrist found a nevus – basically a freckle – in my right eye. Apparently an estimated 1 in 500 such freckles become cancerous over ten years. [1] 2. Is it related to your breast cancer? Fortunately this is not a breast metastasis but a whole new cancer. It’s way better to have two unrelated local cancers than one cancer that’s metastasized,