Nancy's summer journey with Eye Cancer!

Nancy's summer journey with Eye Cancer!

It started out what I thought was another one of my migraines, really was the beginning of my journey to learning that I had a tumor growing inside of my left eye!

It was June 10th in the morning, I had this little annoying pain in the inside corner of my eyeball, just under my eyelid...I took one of my migraine pills, so I could ward off another one of my debilating 3 day migraines..I took a 2nd pill that evening and a 3rd pill the next morning. Usually one pill would have been enough to stop my migraines, but this one was different...the pain stayed the same and never materialized into a full blown migraine, like it usually would have.

During the afternoon of the 3rd day...I was sitting out in my front yard, just trying to feel better and mentally preparing myself for a long drive across the State of Florida to go to the grand opening of a new PODS Angels/FND Family Resource Center that was opening up the next day in Fort Myers. I was covering my eyes and that is when I discovered I had, what I could only best describe as a, 'coffee stain' in the central vision of my left eye! I was speechless, I could hardly call out to my husband who was, polishing his little fishing boat and getting ready for a weekend of fishing, while the kids and I were to be out of town over in Fort Myers.

I quickly called an eye doctor, a licsensed Opthalmologist and set an appointment for first thing the next morning. By the next morning, I had the starting of a 'black spot' in my central vision and that doctor did a complete exam on me, and did not see a thing wrong with my eye! He only recommended I go have a complete medical check up.

I went to clinic that we have been using for a couple of years now, because we have been unable to find family health insurance. No insurance company would write us up a policy, because of our daughter being a child with Down syndrome! So this clinic has served our family well. I was seen by a Physicains Assistant student and he, thought maybe I was suffering from a really bad sinus infection and put me on expensive sinus antibiotics. I asked for a complete blood work up while I was there, so at least I would have my blood work up to use to help diagnose what was happening to me.

...stay tuned...story to be continued...

I recently had a writer from the Sun-Sentinel interview me and his story was recently published in the paper on Monday October 21st, 2003. I will try to get that reproduced onto my site here to share with you.

Please click the email me when site is updated, so you can be the first to see my updates...

...this is a work in progress as time permits...

Thanks for your interest!

Happy to be leaving the hospital July 12th, 2003

I was so happy to have the 2 surgeries over and done with!

...at home healing...and healing...and healing...

GOT MY SIGHT BACK!!!

...this is something I wrote to my friends and family just a week after finding out it was cancer...and a week before my 2 eye surgeries...writing about it helped me get through it all...

July 1, 2003
*3 weeks to the day of getting my headache that took my sight away in my left eye on June 10th

...Donations are coming in..Its giving me HOPE and FAITH! I am standing on The Mountain of the Lord Will Provide Gen.22: 2-14...my doctor's 'coordinator', T. 'Miracle', (she is legally blind) just got back from her vacation and called me today to see how things were going...she was surprised to hear how well I was 'managing' and was happy to hear all I had been doing to pull things together to make things work...we discussed the 'plaque' thingie...the thing that holds and administers the radiation to my tumor. That is a separate company thru the University of Miami and unless you can prove the ability to pay for this 'thingie' they will not 'custom build' it for you according to your tumor location and size...

T. Miracle, got a 'good feeling' from me and without even 'verifying' with my Foresight TPA Escrow account just how much was collected and in there, she told me she was going to go ahead and OK the plans and give them permission to go ahead and 'create and build' this Plaque thingie for me!!!! Praise the Lord...God is an AWESOME God!

She also said that when the Doctor (Dr. Timothy Murray, MD, F.A.C.S.) gets back on Monday the day BEFORE my 'scheduled' insertion/surgery day...she said he also has ALOT of PULL with hospital charges and she was going to work with the girls in the billing dept. even though this is NOT what she usually does...the girls in billing the day before called me and dropped me with a whammy and faxed me the total amount of just the hospital stayand said, since I didn't have any insurance that it would have to ALL be paid up front BEFORE they would admit me to the hospital!! I completely lost it and was 'Jell-O' all day...it was numbing..they were very cold and uncaring about the fact I was just handed the 'blue folder' not even a week ago, telling me I had eye cancer...T. Miracle was so unhappy to hear that had happened to me. She was going to look into it for me and get to the bottom of it.

I am scheduled to be in the hospital next week!!!! Tuesday July 8th, have the 1st surgery for the insertion of the Plaque, that stays on and KILLS THAT GOSH DARN LITTLE MONSTER GROWING IN MY EYE!!! Three days later on Friday July 11th the 2nd surgery to remove the Plaque, if all goes well, which of course I am anticipating it too...God is in control throughout all of this!! I will be discharged and able to go home on Saturday July 12th! *I have NEVER been away for my 2 children for 5 days...EVER!! That is going to be the hardest on me AND the kids! Pray for Mark n Mariah. and whoever, most likely my sister, Barbara who will be staying in my brothers house for a week long 'vacation' that was 'planned' months ago...surprise, surprise..Aunt Barbie to the rescue! Thank you Barbie for coming here for your "vacation"... :o) your kids and mine are going to have a blast just being together a whole week! It will make it easier for them while I am away...again..God is so good!

There have been soooo many, tooooo many, God-incidences or God GREEN LIGHTS this past week in my life to not give the Glory to God!

I thank you all for keeping me in your prayers and donations that have been sent in for me and all the LOVE and concern for what has so suddenly happened to me and taken my eyesight in my left eye!

I will keep you all posted...

...Keep that Special 'Nancy Candle' Burning for me...and keep the prayers washing over me...I need them!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Nancy ~ Standing on the Mountain of Moriah!!!
a.k.a. The Mountain Of The Lord Will Provide! Gen.22: 2-14

Praising God for carrying me through....

Standing on the mountian of Moriah in Genesis 22...the Lord Will Provide!!

I just had my 7th month post op eye checkup and am amazed at how much that 'little monster' has settled down and shrunk!! During my check ups, I have an ECHOGRAPHY (sonogram) done ON my eyeball...that checks the 'height' and circumfrence of the tumor...this last echography results showed that it is almost flat and just the scar from the surgeries were still present. During this whole ordeal...I found out that that on my other eye I also have a nevus..which is the medical name for a freckle or birthmark...that is what these 'little monsters' start out as..

Please please every year have your eyes checked by a good eye doctor!! *A GOOD ONE!! Most eye doctors may only see these types of eye tumors maybe 3-4 times in the lifetime of their career!! The first eye doctor I went to....missed it!!! Ask about Nevus...or birthmarks in your eye..or freckles...ask...get them to give you the best eye exam they have ever given anyone! ...it could save your life!

I am hanging in there...and of course PRAISING GOD for everything!!!!

Keep me in your prayers...I have 2 young children to raise and live for!

I will continue to update and add to this page..come back again!

Nancy

Email me and say hello, your emails and letters encourage me so much!