From tragedy to triumph - Hickam Airman overcomes rare form of cancer Published Sept. 26, 2013 By Senior Airman Christopher Stoltz Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines sense as one of five natural powers through which we receive information about the world around us. Let's play a hypothetical game. You must choose to strip yourself of one sense. Would the choice be hearing? Could you live without the sounds of music or the ability to communicate verbally? Or would it be taste? Could you even fathom the inability to taste a slice of Brooklyn-style pizza, a piece of Belgian chocolate, or ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer's day? Unfortunately for Technical Sgt. Chris Hart, 647th Force Support Squadron unit training manager, this scenario wasn't a hypothetical situation. It was nearly a certainty that could claim not only his sight, but his life as well. "Earlier this year, I was in the final stages of approval for LASIK surgery," he said. "In June, during the final stages of my visits and check-ups, the attending optometrist noticed a small, but strange anomaly on the iris of my left eye." The doctor reassured Hart that it was probably nothing of concern, but should have it looked at by a specialist in case he had anything wrong with the eye in question. Following protocols, Hart was recommended to an ophthalmologist for further review. Upon visits to both the Tripler Army Medical Center and the 15th Medical Group on Hickam, Hart was informed the spot on his eye was possibly melanoma, and he should have it looked at by an ocular oncologist. Hart was referred to a retired ocular oncologist living in Hawaii, who specialized in identifying and operating on incidents as rare as Hart's was. Unfortunately Hart's bad luck continued, as the oncologist confirmed the melanoma in his eye was in fact cancerous. "I was completely blown away," he said. "One day, I am being briefed for LASIK surgery. The next, I am being told I need to have surgery to remove melanoma from my eye. This is something so rare that I was informed there are only a few-active ocular oncologists in the United States. I'm just glad a retired one was living in Hawaii and could provide some guidance." After the prognosis, Hart was sent to California for his surgery. His bad luck streak ended, as the surgery was successful and yielded no complications. While most people would be disheartened by the daunting sequence of events, Hart remained optimistic, and even had a positive experience from the entire ordeal. "The one fortunate aspect out the unfortunate set of occurrences is the fact I was able to see my son Ethan," he said. "He lives on Travis Air Force Base, which is about an hour away from UCSF. My family was also able to visit and stay with me during my recovery. " "I can barely see out of my left eye at the moment, but I'm slowly recovering," he said. "It is almost like seeing out of a clear shower curtain, but should regain most of my sight within eight weeks. I'm just glad the specialists here were able to help me, because it's crazy to imagine that if this went untreated, it could eventually claim my life." Hart is doing well today and is currently on medical leave. He is set to visit a specialist every six months to ensure there is no recurrence of the melanoma which once plagued his eye. He recommends every Airman take their health seriously and make sure to follow up on anything suspicious, even if it doesn't seem like a big deal. "I'm just glad the doctors saved my life and I have the chance to be there for my son," he said. "It would be one thing if I couldn't see him, but it would be much worse if he couldn't see me."