The Eye Believe Podcast

Cancer & Leadership with Tanya Gibson

*Don’t forget to register for our first ever annual STEPS FOR SIGHT Challenge! Register yourself and your team at the link below--or donate to the overall goal:

https://www.charityfootprints.com/sight/eventdetails

A Cure in Sight is joined by Tanya Gibson, sharing her journey since being diagnosed in March 2021 with choroidal melanoma.

She summarizes her story below:

Tanya Gibson

Cancer & Leadership 

I remember the moment I knew that I was going to hear “you’ve got cancer”.  It was the day after my doctor called me to tell me he was “worried”.  Something in me, my inner knowing, took over after that phone call.  I had the best sleep.  I woke up rested and clear headed.  I went to the computer and looked up everything he had told me.  And I knew.  I thought “Fuck.  I’m going to find out I have cancer.”  And just like that it was go time.  I had just been given the opportunity to put into practice everything I had learned over the past 20 years about mindset, leadership, energy, emotional intelligence, health and healing.  I sat down with a piece of paper and wrote “how do I want to experience this journey.”

 

I needed to be quiet for a while. I kept what I knew to myself, to protect my energy & mindset, until I was strong enough to handle other people’s experiences, fears and projections with cancer.  You see, when people love you, their worries and fears can be dominant.  I needed to be rock solid to handle that and not absorb it.  I had to get my body ready for something it had never done before, go through 2 surgeries in a week. Nourishing it and ensuring it was as strong as possible. I was facing a new challenge. One I needed to lead myself through fully empowered, full of optimism and in full physical strength. I had to be unshakeable in holding MY vision of MY future. I needed to be unstoppable.

It all started in March 2021, at an annual eye exam, my eye doctor found something suspicious. He called me in the evening to say “I’m worried”. After 4 weeks of appointments, specialists, tests & hospitals, I was told the diagnosis, choroidal melanoma.  I remember phrases as I was focusing on breathing.  How did you end up here?  We’ve never gotten one this small.   It was caught early.  Excellent prognosis.  Radiation.  Keep your eye.  Risks.  Ocular muscle.  90%.  Sign here.  Pre-op testing today.  I was in a daze still trying to comprehend all that I was told as I was having x-rays and scans and blood tests to prepare for surgeries in 2 weeks.  I left the hospital and walked for an hour processing everything I had been told.  The bottom line was this was caught through an annual routine eye exam, before it had progressed to be symptomatic.  I decided that I was expected to make a full recovery with this being a minor speed bump in life.

It was overwhelming. It didn’t feel real. It felt scary, AND it was great news. Considering what I had just been told, I was excited because it was the best outcome that was possible. THAT needed to be my focus. At the same time, I was equally exhausted, filled with so many emotions and I needed to cocoon. I wanted processing time.  I needed to figure out how I was going to move through this experience.

In April, I had surgery for Brachytherapy, where a radiation plaque was placed on my eye, and another surgery to remove it a week later.  My nephew concluded, in his 7-year old innocence, that I would have a bionic eye with special powers.  I liked that and that is how I now think of it.

 

The surgeries went better than expected, leaving all muscles and nerves fully intact.  It has been a journey since April, adjusting to life with a “bionic eye”.  I have had challenges through recovery.  I have spasms in my eye and shots of pain.  I struggle with screen time.  I was scared to drive and it has taken me quite a while to adjust to nighttime driving.  My eye is sensitive to the light.  I can wake up with tons of energy and need a nap 2 hours later as I fatigue easily.  I am learning to live life differently with these challenges.  Many people comment on the visual aspect that they see saying things like “you look so good” or “you can barely tell”, but what no one can see is how cancer changes you on the inside.  And that has been the biggest journey of all!  

 

I believe that what we put our attention on grows.  While I have side effects, I don’t give them much attention or talk about them much.  No one can truly understand what we each go through.  But that is the same with everything in life.  No two diagnosis are the same, no two divorces are the same, no two parenting experiences are the same.   We are unique and therefore our experiences are unique to us.  I am learning to live with the ways that I am different and work with that.  I acknowledge how I am feeling, I honour the feelings, I give them space and I rest when I need to.  But my main focus is on gratitude.  I would rather put the attention on all of the things that I feel grateful for.  My eyesight is fully intact.  I get to see all the beauty that surrounds me.  The tumour is controlled.  I get to experience more in life as a result.  My body has an incredible ability to heal and it is continuing to get stronger every day!

 

One of my core beliefs in life is that we get to create the life we desire.  The things that happen to us in life are neither good or bad, but rather it is how we experience it that we end up defining as good or bad.  We choose our response to the circumstances and that informs our experience.   I honour the feelings I have, and I choose to move forward with gratitude and optimism.

 

Just 3 weeks prior to this diagnosis, I had completed a restructuring at work and was in my final months of my corporate job.  I was ready to pursue a new career challenge with a focus on leadership.  At the same time, the city I lived in, Toronto, Canada, was in a lockdown state due to the pandemic.   The circumstances were less than ideal to receive a cancer diagnosis, but they were just circumstances.   

 

It certainly felt like an overwhelming blow.  It knocked the wind out of me, there were plenty of tears.  But those beliefs I have rang loud and clear.  I get to decide how I will experience this. I create the life I desire.   It is up to me to choose my response to these circumstances.

 

During the time between diagnosis and prognosis, I sat and journaled on two main themes.  I repeatedly wrote and reflected on one question “What if this were my last summer”.  Once I was able to get through all of the tears and scary “what if” scenarios, I realized that no matter what, whether I had one summer left or sixty summers left, I wanted to experience it with fun, laughter and love.  I wanted to live a valuable life with meaning and purpose.  And that became part of my approach.  The other thing I did was I wrote my obituary.  I wrote it from the perspective of my 106 year old self, looking back on my life.  I concluded that I wanted to be a youthful and energetic old lady at 106, with her beautiful eyes and eyesight intact, filled with love, and a sparkle and twinkle of curiosity and mischief in them.  I wanted to be able to look back on this experience and know that I did something great with it.

 

Our circumstances don’t define us.  It’s what we do with the circumstances that is truly defining.  I had to look at this situation from the perspective of how I wanted to feel and what I can learn from this.  

 

With these challenges I was facing, came the opportunity to strengthen my resolve and lead myself in new ways, to better prepare me for the future I desired to create and build and to gain clarity on the impact that I wanted to have.   Ultimately, that is what leadership is.  We are faced with challenges and we step up to figure out how to move through them and sometimes we inspire others along the way.   We go first and pave a path for others to follow and have an easier journey.  We lead by example to show others if we can do it, so can they.  We remain optimistic, believing that no matter what, things will always work out, even during the toughest of times.  

 

While it is important to have a plan in life, it is even more important to realize that things rarely happen how we plan.  When we get hung up on what did or didn’t happen, we stay stuck.  Our success comes not from the plan, but how we how we adapt, pivot and respond to the curveballs along the way.   Our growth comes not from the results, but from taking a step back to reflect on the action we took and finding the lessons along the way.  Our progression comes not from what we achieved, but from figuring out how we can raise the standard and do better next time.

 

I look back on the 2021 that I never imagined, yet feel proud at all I’ve overcome.  I am incredibly excited to be stepping into each day, with a whole new perspective, a redefined vision with a bionic eye and even more leadership skills & lessons than before.

I had a 6 in 1 million chance of getting this. I had never heard of this type of cancer. It’s considered rare. My prognosis is incredible, thanks to early detection.  I plan to exceed expectations and do it my way.  I know this will be a story I will tell in my 100’s, letting everyone know how rare I am as I look at all of the beauty around me feeling so grateful for an incredible life, my gorgeous eyes and eyesight.

Remember, I create the life I desire!


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Be sure to follow us on Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

 

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINK TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

The Invisible Burdens of Ocular Melanoma

In today's episode, Danet talks about the invisible burdens of ocular melanoma. The graphics linked in the social media posts below may be helpful to you to share with others to communicate what you are grappling with on a day to day basis.

You may often feel alone in this diagnosis:

 

Loved ones and friends want to support you, but you don’t have the words to convey why you need support, or what is challenging.

 

If all you can do today is acknowledge that you have a lot of emotions, a lot of burdens to carry now; and just ask for validation from others that it’s hard, and allowed to be hard—that’s enough.

 

Be gentle with yourself. You carry a lot omie.

 

Please reach out if you feel you need support or a listening ear. Our companionship program can help pair you with another omie as a sounding board. (And social media can help us do that too!)

 

Instagram post: 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaIi1zvg4D/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

Facebook post: 

 

https://www.facebook.com/475694439137179/posts/4916071988432713/?d=n

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINK TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

 

Why See a Uveal Melanoma Oncologist with Dr. Justin Moser (Scottsdale AZ)

Topic: Why see a uveal melanoma oncologist and how to talk with your oncologist about clinical trials?

A Cure in Sight is joined by Dr. Justin Moser, a medical oncologist in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

He shares helpful tips to keep in mind when having discussions with a medical oncologist, and why it’s vital for patients to be seen and under the watch and care of a medical oncologist either familiar with uveal melanoma protocols for scans and care, or someone who is willing to learn from another oncologist in the field.

Dr. Moser explains some of the process behind selecting a clinical trial for a patient experiencing metastatic spread, and how you as a patient can ask for less known trials that are not entirely ready for Uveal melanoma yet, but are planned to have a few spots for uveal melanoma spread.

Thank you Dr. Moser for your time and research!

 

Dr. Justin Moser is a medical oncologist and hematologist and associate clinical investigator at HonorHealth Research Institute, clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, and an adjunct faculty member at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). He is an expert in the treatment of melanoma and other skin cancers and co-leads the Cutaneous Oncology Tumor Site Strategy Group for HonorHealth.

 

Dr. Moser graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with distinctions in research and teaching. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He has strong passion for developing new treatments for patients with cancer and was a visiting fellow at the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute.

 

Dr. Moser’s has a special focus on patients with rare skin cancers, such as uveal melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, Merkle cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, as patients with these cancers often have fewer treatment options available.

 

For more information on the HonorHealth Research Institute Melanoma and Skin Cancer Clinic or to make an appointment please call our Nurse Navigators at 480-323-1364 or email clinicaltrials@honorhealth.com.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINK TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

 

Coping with Loss of Control in a Cancer Diagnosis

A Cure in Sight is joined in The Eye Believe Podcast by Arielle Farkash, a patient diagnosed with ocular melanoma in Nov 2018.

Three things she would share with anyone beginning their journey, or in a hard place:

1. Focus on what you know–don’t get caught up in the stories of what if.
2. Ask ALL the questions–they’re all valid!
3. It may be hard now, but it DOES get better with time. All things good and bad DO come to an end eventually; when it’s hard, hang on and when it’s good, lean in and be present.

Arielle recommends a course available to cancer patients to allow you to link up with other patients and develop resiliency skills. You can find more details about A Fresh Chapter at https://afreshchapter.com/ignite/

Her favorite book, Bright Side, by Kim Holden can be found here https://amzn.to/34yRNON

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SWING FOR SIGHT is coming up in April! Join us in Napa! Spots are limited! Register to be part of this social event April 23, 2022; register for your spot here!

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10, $15, or $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINK TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

Living with OM, a Brown-Eyed Story with Yvonne

The Eye Believe Podcast is joined by Yvonne Kirondomara to share her story thus far with ocular melanoma. 

 

She speaks of her unique Brown-Eyed Story, because as many of us know, this cancer is rare, but it is most common in blue and green eyed patients.

 

"I was surprised on December 12, 2019 when I was told that I had a rare cancer in my eye called Choroidal Melanoma. What was that called again? I was taking notes as my doctor was telling me my diagnosis.  It was completely shocking to hear just a few weeks ago, I was getting my normal eye exam when my eye doctor was like “I see something in your eye so I would like to send you to a retina doctor to double check it ok”. I was like “ok sure, no worries”.

 

I realize looking back, my journey has just begun and I know that I need to get this information out to those that do not know.  As eye cancer is not for only the blue eyed, fair skinned it does show up in Latinas, African Americans and brown eyed people, because it happened to me." 

 

Make sure to tune in to our interview with Yvonne and hear her story firsthand! 

 

Be sure to share and let your omies and friends and family know to tune in live if they can to support her!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

SWING FOR SIGHT is coming up in April! Join us in Napa! Spots are limited! Register to be part of this social event April 23, 2022; register for your spot here!

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10, $15, or $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINK TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

The Eye Believe Podcast brought to you by Castle Biosciences. This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

 

Boundaries and Mental Health

The host of The Eye Believe Podcast, Danet Peterson, shares some ideas from Cait, @thecancercouncelor on Instagram, on setting boundaries when faced with the diagnosis of ocular melanoma, and the accompanying seasons you may encounter.

See Cait’s post re-shared by @acureinsight here for the visual of ideas to save and share.  

 

Setting healthy boundaries for yourself is critical in maintaining your mental health as a patient with a long term diagnosis.


ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

SWING FOR SIGHT is coming up later this month!! Join us in Napa! Spots are limited! Register to be part of this social event April 23, 2022; register for your spot here!

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINKS TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors. 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

Barriers to Immunotherapy: Success for Uveal Melanoma Liver Metastases with TriSalus Life Sciences

A Cure in Sight, in collaboration with the Ocular Melanoma Foundation, is joined by TriSalus Life Sciences to bring you a presentation on Barriers to Immunotherapy: Success for Uveal Melanoma Liver Metastases.

The slides from this presentation can be found to follow along here on Youtube.

 

In this presentation, we will be hearing from three of the experts involved in the PERIO-01 Clinical Trial.

 

The Pressure-Enabled Regional Immuno-Oncology (PERIO-01) clinical trial is studying a new investigational drug, SD-101, delivered intravascularly by the TriNav® Infusion System using the Pressure-Enabled Drug Delivery™ (PEDD™) method of administration. The study is evaluating if this platform approach can improve the performance of systemic checkpoint inhibitors in treating patients with uveal melanoma liver metastases by overcoming two major challenges of treatment: immune response suppression and ineffective drug delivery.

 

First up, you’ll hear from Dr. Richard D. Carvajal, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Experimental Therapeutics, Director, Melanoma Service, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Investigator, PERIO-01 Clinical Trial. Dr. Carvajal will discuss Successes, Challenges and Emerging Strategies in the Treatment of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.

 

Following his presentation, Dr. Steven C. Katz, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, TriSalus Life Sciences will discuss Barriers to Immunotherapy Success in Uveal Melanoma Liver Metastases.

 

To conclude you’ll hear from Dr. Joshua L. Weintraub, MD, Executive Vice Chairman, Department of Radiology, Chief, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center about the Pressure-Enabled Regional Immuno-Oncology (or PERIO-01) Clinical Trial for adults with uveal melanoma liver metastases.

After their presentation, Ashley Moody from TriSalus Life Sciences joins in to aid in the Q and A. Ashley is a Nurse and a Clinical Research and Immunotherapy Project Manager. She will answer logistical questions surrounding trial involvement (eligibility, trial flow, treatment logistics, travel reimbursement, if applicable, etc.) following the presentation.

Information on the PERIO-O1 Clinical Trial can be found at www.PERIOtrial.com

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINKS TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors. 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

When Tragedy Becomes the Teacher with Katie Wilson

A Cure in Sight is joined on The Eye Believe Podcast by Katie Wilson, M.A, L.C.P.C., discussing insights on, “When Tragedy Becomes the Teacher.” Katie is a fellow Ocular Melanoma survivor as well as a clinical therapist with over 15 years of experience.

Katie believes the greatest outcomes grow from the most challenging circumstances, and that we as adults can transform these challenges into profound learning experiences. Her research focus has been on human flourishing, specifically eudemonia (you de monia), following tragic life experiences.

Katie is also an instructor of psychology at North Idaho College. She resides in Coeur d’ Alene (core dah lane), Idaho with her two children, where she works as a trauma therapist.

As a survivor, she volunteers as an advocate and fundraiser for ocular melanoma patients. Her purpose is to assist her fellow survivors in living their absolute best, most meaningful lives.

The song referenced in this episode is below: 

“I believe in the sun

even when it is not shining

And I believe in love,

even when there’s no one there.

And I believe in God,

even when He is silent.” (Unknown, written during WW2, on the wall of a cellar, by a Jew in the Cologne concentration camp) 

Recording to a version of this piece turned into music.

 

A few moments from her episode:

 

Recall the Disney movie, Inside Out–remember that sadness, grief, suffering–they help us to grow as people to experience joy. If we are constantly chasing happiness, we usually miss the mark. We need BOTH sets of emotion for the full human experience. The “happy” emotions and the “tricky” emotions.

 

Difficult emotions exist to be felt, but we tend to try to avoid them. Remember, we as human beings are programmed to thrive, despite the obstacles we go through.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

May is Melanoma Awareness Month and Eye Patch Days are on May 20-22!

Help us raise awareness for Ocular Melanoma!

1. Decorate a patch! Encourage family and friends to do the same!

2. On May 20-22, proudly wear your patch any of those days to experience the day in the life of an omie if you’re a caregiver, or wear it around town to spark conversations around OM.
   
   3. Post any photos to enter the contest for best decorated patch on social media (make sure we can see it @acureinsight and #eyepatchday)  OR  email a submission to contact@acureinsight.org

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINKS TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors. 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

Getting to Know Castle Biosciences

Getting to know Castle Biosciences with Dr. Kat Alsina

A Cure in Sight is joined on The Eye Believe Podcast by Dr. Katherina Alsina (she goes by Kat), who is Associate Director of the uveal melanoma division at Castle Biosciences. Castle is a commercial stage diagnostics company that is focused on providing physicians and their patients with personalized, clinically actionable information to make more accurate treatment decisions.

 

In this brief discussion, Kat shares the origin and history of Castle Biosciences, how they got started, and how their DecisionDX UM testing was their first molecular test. All of Castle’s Uveal Melanoma relevant tests are discussed, as well as options the testing affords patients in surveillance care. The research behind the biopsy tests is briefly explained, as well as ways that Castle ensures patients have the financial aid for these tests. International testing is also touched on!

See below the contact information for the financial aid discussed:

Physicians and patients can get more information about insurance coverage, claims processing, and financial assistance by calling 866-788-9007 and selecting option #3.

 

To access the lists of currently recruiting clinical trials which are compiled by Castle’s UM team and updated quarterly, go to https://myuvealmelanoma.com/ and click on the “Helpful Resources” tab, then click on “Clinical Trials”

 

To access the lists of currently recruiting clinical trials which are compiled by Castle’s UM team and updated quarterly, go to https://myuvealmelanoma.com/ and click on the “Helpful Resources” tab, then click on “Clinical Trials”

Kat expresses how Castle Biosciences “has a patient oriented approach in everything we do, and that has been especially rewarding” in their work.  

 

Thank you again to Castle Biosciences for their continued work for patients with rare diseases like Ocular Melanoma.

Announcements

May is Melanoma Awareness Month and Healthy Vision month! Any time you share one of our social media posts or podcasts to inform friends and family you are making an impact in sharing and spreading awareness for ocular melanoma with us! 

Thank you to all who participated in Eye Patch Days!

As summer begins, ensure you are following safe sun practices for both your eyes, and your skin!

You don’t have fur – so make sure you cover up to keep your skin safe. Take these small steps to sun safety:

 

sunscreen

sunglasses

shade

protective clothing

 

Remember! The best sunscreen is the sunscreen you’ll use. Practice sun safe habits and wear sunscreen every day.

 

Your coolness factor goes up with sunscreen and shade!

 

**To help reduce rising rates of skin cancer from overexposure to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day” to encourage sun safety awareness and to remind everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors. (In collaboration with @skincancerprev )"

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. Any donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. Donat on  PAYPAL OR VENMO or on our website.

The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors. 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.

An Ocular Oncologist’s Perspective with Dr. Amy Schefler

Episode Title: An Ocular Oncologist’s Perspective with Dr. Amy Schefler

A Cure in Sight is joined on The Eye Believe Podcast by Dr. Amy Schefler to discuss her perspective on what’s new in research as well as an update on genetics in the field of ocular oncology.

Dr. Amy Schefler graduated from Yale University and received her medical degree from Cornell University, followed by an ocular oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and residency, chief residency, vitreoretinal surgery training, and ocular oncology fellowship training at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. After two years on the faculty at Bascom Palmer, she moved to Houston, Texas where she has been for eight years. In Houston, she runs the adult ocular oncology service at Houston Methodist Hospital and the pediatric ocular oncology service at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. These ocular oncology services are among the busiest in the United States, consistently enrolling among the most patients in multiple large multicenter clinical trials.

Dr. Schefler is a renowned researcher in eye cancer, and has published over 80 peer-reviewed publications, 20 book chapters, and given over 90 national and international meeting presentations. In addition, she serves as a reviewer for 20 major ophthalmic journals. She participates in all of the major currently enrolling multicenter clinical trials in eye cancer in the U.S., including Aura, COOG2, trials in radiation retinopathy, and trials in retinoblastoma.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Nashville’s Eye Believe Seminar! October 14-15 this year!

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Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or  Instagram @acureinsight, for more stories, tips, research news, and ideas to help you navigate this journey with OM!

*A Cure in Sight is a 501c3 organization. All donations made can help fund our podcast to educate patients, fund research, aid patients, and more! Donate $10 $15 $20 today to help A Cure in Sight in their quest to find a cure. LINKS TO PAYPAL OR VENMO 

The Eye Believe Podcast is brought to you by Castle Biosciences. Castle Biosciences is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors. 

This podcast was hosted by Danet Peterson and produced by Agora Media.