A United Kingdom-based woman believed that she was going to the optometrist for a routine eye exam. However, the results of the exam were something that she was not prepared for.
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The woman, a 63-year-old named Anne Haslam, said that she had not experienced any symptoms that made her believe that anything was out of order. But a visit to her optometrist led her to be referred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital. The institution informed her that she had developed a rare form of eye cancer called uveal melanoma.
Routine Eye Exam Turns Into Cancer Diagnosis For UK Woman
Haslam says that the revelation was particularly shocking because she believed that she maintained a "fit and healthy" lifestyle.
"Initially, it was a shock because I was fit and healthy as far as I was concerned," Haslam said to the BBC (via PEOPLE). "Since then, it has been quite hard because you go to different centers as part of the process. There isn't one person looking after you. You have to be your own advocate and look at what treatments are available, and that is hard."
Uveal melanoma is a rare type of eye cancer that starts in the middle layer of the eye called the uvea. It is the most common primary eye tumor in adults, developing from pigment-making cells called melanocytes (via Melanoma Research Alliance).
Because of the rarity of Haslam's cancer, the treatment options were scarce. Almost non-existent, in fact. The Ocular Melanoma UK charity insisted that she discuss chemosaturation options with her medical team. However, the treatment is very expensive. So her family has used crowdfunding to raise the money for her treatment. Because without it, doctors say that Haslam is on borrowed time.
"The only time I've had some hope has been this chemosaturation because the results of that potentially could extend my life. Without that, what they were saying was 18 months," she added.
Haslam's family will need to raise roughly $175,000 for her to go through four rounds of chemotherapy. She says that the hardest part of going through this is knowing that she could possibly miss the opportunity to see her grandchildren grow up.
She also added: "It's hard. I have a very strong family. I've got two children and a new granddaughter, and not seeing my grandchildren grow up makes me sad. And that is the likely outcome."
