Local

Huntersville eye cancer patient hopes for answers

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Channel 9 broke the news this week that the number of people diagnosed with an extremely rare, and sometimes deadly, eye cancer in the Huntersville area has jumped to 17.

One man just added to the cancer cluster opened up to me about his battle with ocular melanoma and the search to answer the big question, “Why?”

Trey Wills called Huntersville home for 14 years but on a business trip in 2001, he experienced fuzzy vision.

“That fuzziness turned into, like a sunspot,” Wills said. “I had a permanent spot in the vision of my right eye.”

Wills went to the doctor and a few months later was shocked at his diagnosis, eye cancer.

He never heard of ocular melanoma.

“Everyone has heard about skin cancer but never had I heard it could be in your eye,” Wills said. “You heard the word melanoma and you're panic-stricken.”

A radioactive implant and several laser treatments helped Wills beat the cancer, but he had no clue he was part of a rare cancer cluster that includes 17 patients who lived or worked within 15 miles of Huntersville, all diagnosed with the extremely rare disease. Some did not survive.

Now armed with a state grant, the town is searching for a cause.

Wills said he'll be happy to participate in the research and genetic testing, hoping his case could provide some clue to why this is happening.

“Just knowing, for me, calms fears. So I'm very interested in finding out everything we can.”

Wills now goes through cancer screenings every year.

He said he was recently added to the cancer cluster after a former Huntersville neighbor informed researchers about him.

Officials tell me our news coverage as well as social media have helped spread the word, and uncover new cases.

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