The cure for melanoma begins with me.

I was diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma (OM) in the summer of 2024. With the support of family, friends, colleagues, and my medical team at Mass General Hospital, I was able to fight back, kill the tumor in my eye, and most importantly - ring the bell! 

I noticed I lost vision in my left eye and I rushed to ophthalmologist. He discovered my retina was detached and referred me to retina specialist to reattach it, but during additional imaging, he discovered a choroidal mass against my macula. I got on a train to Philadelphia to see an ocular oncologist and they diagnosed it as an uveal melanoma tumor. I had to decide between getting my eye enucleated (removed) or doing photon beam radiation. I did radiation in Boston at Mass General Hospital under the care of Dr. Ivana Kim and continue oncology screenings in Boston with Dr. Ryan Sullivan. As of January 2026, my scans continue to show "no evidence of disease," which is the best feeling every time. 

I don't want to just sit with the anxiety of my next check up always lingering in the back of my head so I got involved with Cure OM (ocular melanoma), a subdivision of the Melanoma Research Foundation. OM is considered extremely rare, affecting approximately 6 out of 1,000,000 people, with very little known about its causes. This past year, I joined MRF on Capitol Hill to advocate for sustained funding to melanoma programs. 

Every step matters and every step counts. Significant advancement has been made in the past few years in improved detection, new drug treatments and better survival rates. This progress has been built on the breakthroughs made fighting other types of cancers, as well as the existing foundation of melanoma research.

There is more to be done and a long way to go, but the finish line is in sight. The energy, enthusiasm and encouragement from patients, survivors, families, friends, caregivers, and the medical community impacts many lives and many future.

Step up and donate to Miles for Melanoma today.