Coping With Ocular Melanoma (OM)

Ocular Melanoma, the most common of the cancers of the eye is a devastating disease. Patients and family members will benefit from the Toolbox contained within when first beginning the journey towards recovery. The bulk of the information is psychological tools one may implement, easily as one navigates the path of testing, getting results and counter-balancing what may lay ahead with treatment options. Both the patient and the care providers may benefit from reading recovery options. The book is written from both a personal standpoint as well as decades of developing tools for others, especially emergency personnel. Find out what may be of help to you or your family member inside this book.

The basics of what recovery is means having information readily available. At the beginning of the diagnosis, what are the parts of the eye, what is prognostication, what are the treatment options? How does one keep in check all the feelings coming up with a serious diagnosis like cancer of the eye? How does the patient and the family members get themselves back into balance with such a devastating diagnosis? Ziva (Anne) writes about anxiety, scanxiety, fear, and trauma while providing both interventions and resources whether on-line or at the library. Questions are raised, providing room to answer them in each section helps confirm the information needed. She takes the work she formerly did as a licensed psychotherapist and an educator, and provides it to others who are on the same path she is on. She recognizes both as a daughter of a mother with OM as well as herself, what is needed to get on with enjoying life.

Ziva, as she is known on Facebook is diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma (OM). In her prior work life, she worked in private practice as a licensed marriage, family therapist in Northern California. She continues training law enforcement and emergency fire personnel how to take care of themselves during their careers. Upon medical retirement she continues her volunteer work in the schools with Master Gardeners educating primary school students in how plants grow, and leads others in workshops on composting. Her family surrounds her with support as she continues navigating medical illness' including OM. Her mother died of OM. Ziva (Anne) knows the ins and outs of OM being a teen in the family at the time. All those years later, dumbfounded when she was diagnosed with melanoma of the eye. Her genetic testing classified her OM as Class 2, not good. She used her training both in the office and with emergency personnel helping other OMers learn about skills helpful in working with scanxiety.