A man was diagnosed with a rare cancer after noticing a red spot in his right eye.
Tony Brown, 63, noticed a red spot in his eye but thought it was just a popped blood vessel after googling it.
His daughter Suzie Brown, 39, and the rest of his family were concerned and Tony went to the opticians.
They told him he likely had a detached retina and transferred him to Lancaster Hospital.
He had a scan and ultrasound before being transferred to Lancashire Eye Hospital, Chorley and then the Royal Liverpool University.
There he was diagnosed with ocular melanoma – an extremely rare form of cancer.
Tony had an operation to remove the eye and tumour the next day.
But last week an MRI showed that the cancer had spread to his liver and now Tony is trying to raise £120k for chemo saturation – a non-surgical treatment for cancer of the liver.
Tony, a council worker, from Morecambe, Lancashire said: “I was devastated when I got the diagnosis.
“You always hear about people getting cancer but you never think it will happen to you.
“I am hopeful that with this treatment I will be able to live a long life.”
After noticing a red spot in his right eye, Tony went to his opticians in February 2024 who thought he had a detached retina – when the thin layer at the back of your eye becomes loose.
The opticians checked his eye and transferred him to Lancaster Hospital on February 20, 2024.
Daughter Suzie, who works in insurance, from Morecambe, said: “When he went to Lancaster hospital they did some scans and said he would need to be transferred to Lancashire Eye Hospital.
“I drove him to Chorley the next day where he had several scans, ultrasound and imaging.
“The doctors said they would need to transfer him to the oncology unit in Liverpool and when you hear that you automatically think the worst.”
Suzie drove Tony to Liverpool on March 4, 2024, where he was diagnosed with a ocular melanoma and he was told they would need to remove his eye and the tumour.
Suzie said: “It was just shocking. We were devastated and very worried.
“We were broken by it all at the time but also hopeful as they were taking out the eye and the tumour.”
The following day, Tony had an operation to remove the eye and tumour which was successful.
Suzie said: “He was in hospital for three days. They did an ultrasound which didn’t show anything on his liver which was great.
“Doctors said that his liver would be the first place the cancer would spread.”
When he left hospital, Tony was told he would need routine MRI to monitor whether the cancer had returned.
In April 2024 an MRI showed small tumours were in his liver.
Suzie said: “Our family were broken by this news.
“We were given the absolutely earth shattering news that without treatment he has months to live.
“Dad is broken and he still is. He has found it difficult to comprehend.
“He is not ready for this to be the end and he wants to fight this.”
Doctors told Tony there was nothing they could do for him but recommended chemo saturation – a non-surgical treatment for cancer of the liver.
The treatment is not available on the NHS but is available privately at a cost of £40,000 per round.
Tony’s family are trying to raise £120k for this life changing treatment so he can have a few rounds of treatment.
Suzie said: “Some people have lived past five years on it. Some have had their cancer eradicated.
“It truly is a miracle treatment for this rare cancer. Unfortunately, the NHS do not fund it, and it is only available privately.
“As this cancer is so rare there hasn’t been as much research or funding so there are very limited options for patients who have it.
“As a normal working family on average salaries, we now have to raise a lot of money in a very short time for this treatment to give him some more precious time with us.”
Tony added: “I am amazed at the generosity I’ve had so far from family, friends and even people I don’t know.
“I hope that this treatment will give me more time with my family.”
Link to JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/suzie-brown-2#
