A mum-of-two has been left fighting for her life after a routine eye test revealed a devastating diagnosis.
Hannah Quigley-McKie, 39, hadn’t had an eye test since she was 14 years old as she had always had ‘perfect’ sight. But while out shopping for her teenage daughter’s birthday party at the Stretford Arndale in January 2024 she decided to walk into an opticians and make an appointment for a standard eye check-up after she experienced ‘flashing’ in her vision.
Opticians suspected a detatched retina and referred her to Manchester eye hospital, where she was then referred onwards to the oncology unit at Liverpool hospital. Within a week she was seen by doctors, who revealed she had a large tumour behind her eye. She was diagnosed with ocular melanoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, and the week after underwent an operation to have the tumour removed.
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“It was that quick,” Carole McKie, Hannah’s mum, told the Manchester Evening News. “The ocular melanoma would have started somewhere like a freckle behind the eye but had grown and grown and grown.
“Until she got symptoms of this flashing there was no cause for concern.”
Sadly, it came just two months after Carole’s husband died from cancer. Carole described Hannah, her husband Stuart, and her two children Lola, 14, and Theo, 10, as ‘very grief stricken’, adding Hannah’s diagnosis was a complete ‘shock’.
Hannah and her husband Stuart -Credit:Carole McKie
The operation went smoothly and Hannah, from Trafford, continued having regular check-ups. But sadly, just months later, tests revealed the cancer had already metastasised to her liver. Doctors told her they could offer immunotherapy on the NHS, but that her prognosis was likely less than a year.
“She’s otherwise fit and healthy,” mum Carole said. “You just wouldn’t know. She’s had a horrible year, she was here with me every step of the way with her dad.
“We just said to the doctors, there must be something you can do.”
Medics told Hannah her only other option was to pay privately for a treatment called chemo saturation, which is not available on the NHS. Chemo saturation treats liver cancer by temporarily sealing the organ from the body’s blood circulation, allowing targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs at more concentrated doses than systemic chemotherapy.
Stuart, Lola, Theo, and Hannah -Credit:Carole McKie
But the therapy doesn’t come cheap. Each round costs around £40,000, with treatment reviewed after two sessions.
Hannah and Stuart managed to raise enough money to pay for her first round of chemo saturation, which she is currently recovering from. But now Hannah’s family and friends are appealing for help to raise money for her second treatment, which they are currently unable to afford, and have set up a GoFundMe.
“This treatment could be a game changer, offering a potential to extend Hannah’s life and give her more time with her children, her husband, and everyone who loves her,” a description on the fundraising page reads.
It describes Hannah as a ‘kind hearted and fun-loving 39-year-old from Stretford’, as well as a ‘loving mum to Lola (14) and Theo (10), a devoted wife to Stuart, treasured daughter and sister to Carole, Mel and Matt and a cherished friend to many’.
Family and friends are now fundraising for her treatment -Credit:Carole McKie
“Should other promising treatments become available for Hannah, this fundraising will also help support those opportunities. However, should Hannah’s situation change, these funds will be used to support her and her loved ones during this incredibly challenging time,” it continues.
“Every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference and bring hope to Hannah and her loved ones. Your generosity could help change the course of her fight.
“Thank you for your kindness and support during this difficult time.”