By Vicki Scott
One of our seniors at our exercise class in Dadeville is a dear friend who has asked for prayers for her son-in-law, who recently found out that he had a rare form of cancer behind the retina in his eye. When people have ailments and share their symptoms with me, I listen to them and wonder if I have the same problem.
My dear friend’s son-in-law said he saw things with a bend, and his doctor found a mass behind the retina. The doctor thought it would be a type that would be contained in one spot, but removal would possibly result in loss of the eye. Further tests found it to be choroidal melanoma, a rare form of cancer that spreads to other parts of the body. I asked My dear friend to keep us updated.
My friend Shanne, who is a retired nurse, read up on choroidal melanoma and found that there were clusters of cases in the Auburn University area and in Huntsville. My dear friend’s son-in-law worked at Auburn University and from what I understand, the lady who wrote the article about this cluster is an Auburn University alumnus. Please do not think that I’m taking his condition lightly. We are all praying for him and I’m asking for you to pray, too. My dear friend’s son-in-law is due to stay in Birmingham for a week to get a radioactive plate put behind his eye that will hopefully kill the cancer.
As an Auburn University alumnus, this situation stayed on my mind, along with me seeing weirdness when I wore bifocal glasses (Some people do not believe that I graduated from Auburn, and sometimes I cannot believe it myself).
God used my eye surgeon and his staff to ease my mind before, during and after my recent cataract surgery. When I expressed my concerns at the post-surgery follow-up appointment, I was told that when they dilate my pupils, they can see everything.
When I talked to the doctor about the article on choroidal melanoma, it was as if he had just read it himself. He relayed the same message as my friend Shanne, saying that he saw no evidence of anything abnormal in my eyes. I have to get checked again in six months. Regular check-ups are more important to me now. I praise God that this place makes appointments ahead of time and reminds me the week before the appointment. Because of this, I have had my eyes checked regularly.
Regular checkups do not mean that things will not happen to me, but like breast cancer, early detection is the key. Cancer can spread and take our life or the life of a loved one. Hopefully, my dear friend’s son-in-law will get whatever he needs in order to get his eye back to normal.
Prayer is powerful, and God is the ultimate healer. Again, I covet your prayers.
Stay safe y’all!
Vicki Scott may be contacted at lily200383@yahoo.com.