Blessings amongst the hardest time in Jessica Boesmiller’s life came in the form on twins, reported News.am. 37-year-old Jessica is a mother of four and recently learned in November that she had a life-threatening cancer called ocular melanoma. She was diagnosed while 8-months pregnant with her twins and was devoted to take any action necessary to keep the cancer from spreading to her children.
The action required Jessica to have her eye removed immediately. Although it was a sudden and intense surgery, it was exactly what needed to be done as her babies were born healthy as can be.
Ocular melanoma is a tumor that grows in the pigment cells (where the color to the eyes is given). It’s difficult to identify as the tumor develops in the middle layer within the eye, making it unseeable. It is cancerous and it can spread. This rare disease affects roughly 2,500 Americans (usually adults). It’s much more common in males with lighter eyes over the age of 55. Though, it is strangely over common in towns right outside of the Boesmiller’s hometown. You can read more about this rare form of cancer here.
For Jessica, it all started with a slow development of blurry vision in one eye. Not thinking much of it, she continued on without getting it checked right away. It wasn’t until she was driving one evening that she realized it was indeed affecting her sight immensely. Quickly after, she went to the doctor thinking it was related to her pregnancy, but right away they discovered a tumor inside Jessica’s eye. It can be life-threatening. Further treatment and planning to handle the cancer was postponed due to the birth of the twins.
Fortunately for the Boesmillers, their babies and two other children are healthy and disease-free. It was a heroic move for Jessica to sacrifice her eye for the well-being of her newborns. Now that they are here and healthy, the next steps of treating her cancer have arrived. Radiation therapy will most likely be in here near future.
