In late July 2023, Kristie Carter was enjoying a relaxing visit to a float therapy spa (thanks to a gift card from a friend) when she made a startling discovery – half of the vision in her left eye was gone.

A quick series of visits to doctors revealed a diagnosis of ocular melanoma, with a tumor right on the edge between medium and large. Within a few weeks, she received plaque brachytherapy treatment. Because of the maximum radiation dose, her optic nerve has been slowly dying since then. “I have not lost my eye yet, but my vision is very distorted and dimmed. It makes depth perception hard, and computer screens are hard,” she says. Kristie has scans every three months to check for disease progression.

She is treated in her hometown of Greenville, SC, but decided she wanted to seek the opinion of Dr. Marlana Orloff at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia. Kristie and her husband were self-employed, running a chiropractic clinic in Greenville for 20+ years, but due to the disruption of her diagnosis, they had to close the business. The prospect of paying for the trip was daunting.

“I saw Ashley’s post online, and when I realized that Eye on Grace would take care of me and someone to go with me, it was an answer to prayer,” Kristie says.

Access to Dr. Orloff (and specialists like her) is important because she’s an expert on uveal melanoma, a rare disease that is not widely understood. “I have confidence that she will know what to do if it spreads. She knows about clinical trials that could help me, and she was able to change the scanning protocols I get at home to ensure they are right for my situation,” says Kristie.

She and her husband have four children, two boys and two girls, and are enjoying their first grandchild.

“Cancer changes your priorities. I want to see my children marry and have children. You just don’t know how much time you have,” Kristie says.

“I believe that God uses people to be his hands and feet, and Eye on Grace has given me reassurance that I know is from him. The ability for me to see a specialist, and to have a companion/caregiver go with me, is such a blessing. The mental toll of this disease is really hard, along with the physical.

Kristie is an active participant in our Eye Patch Challenge, raising close to $1,000 so far. “People ask me what they can do to help. When I tell them about the Eye Patch Challenge and they wear a patch for even a few minutes, they say, ‘I don’t know how you do this.’ They realize the impact of having only one eye. I tell them, ‘If you’re ever going to give, give now!’”

In late July 2023, Kristie Carter was enjoying a relaxing visit to a float therapy spa (thanks to a gift card from a friend) when she made a startling discovery – half of the vision in her left eye was gone.

A quick series of visits to doctors revealed a diagnosis of ocular melanoma, with a tumor right on the edge between medium and large. Within a few weeks, she received plaque brachytherapy treatment. Because of the maximum radiation dose, her optic nerve has been slowly dying since then. “I have not lost my eye yet, but my vision is very distorted and dimmed. It makes depth perception hard, and computer screens are hard,” she says. Kristie has scans every three months to check for disease progression.

She is treated in her hometown of Greenville, SC, but decided she wanted to seek the opinion of Dr. Marlana Orloff at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia. Kristie and her husband were self-employed, running a chiropractic clinic in Greenville for 20+ years, but due to the disruption of her diagnosis, they had to close the business. The prospect of paying for the trip was daunting.

“I saw Ashley’s post online, and when I realized that Eye on Grace would take care of me and someone to go with me, it was an answer to prayer,” Kristie says.

Access to Dr. Orloff (and specialists like her) is important because she’s an expert on uveal melanoma, a rare disease that is not widely understood. “I have confidence that she will know what to do if it spreads. She knows about clinical trials that could help me, and she was able to change the scanning protocols I get at home to ensure they are right for my situation,” says Kristie.

She and her husband have four children, two boys and two girls, and are enjoying their first grandchild.

“Cancer changes your priorities. I want to see my children marry and have children. You just don’t know how much time you have,” Kristie says.

“I believe that God uses people to be his hands and feet, and Eye on Grace has given me reassurance that I know is from him. The ability for me to see a specialist, and to have a companion/caregiver go with me, is such a blessing. The mental toll of this disease is really hard, along with the physical.

Kristie is an active participant in our Eye Patch Challenge, raising close to $1,000 so far. “People ask me what they can do to help. When I tell them about the Eye Patch Challenge and they wear a patch for even a few minutes, they say, ‘I don’t know how you do this.’ They realize the impact of having only one eye. I tell them, ‘If you’re ever going to give, give now!’”