Missouri native treated for ocular cancer at MU Health Care

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - It might seem unconventional to travel from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Columbia, Missouri, for cancer care.

But when Cleta Sweeney’s ophthalmologist told her that she had a suspected melanoma growth on her right eye in 2024, that choice just made sense to her.

A native Missourian, Cleta was successfully treated for thyroid cancer at MU Health Care’s Ellis Fischel Cancer Center in the 2000s. Facing a scary diagnosis, she turned back home.

“I was told if I had this melanoma, it has a blood supply, which means it’s not treatable,” Cleta said. “I sat in the car and cried, then I called my sister, and she said, ‘You’re going to call Ellis Fischel for a second opinion, right?’ Once I had a game plan from MU Health Care, I was a lot calmer.”

Cleta met with Dr. Frederick Fraunfelder, a national expert in eye cancers.

After a thorough examination under a microscope and review of photos Cleta had taken of her eye, her care team confirmed the diagnosis. Dr. Fraunfelder told her this iris melanoma was dangerous, but it was also treatable.

“People come to us at a crossroads in their lives, because it is scary to have something that can threaten your life and your sight,” Dr. Fraunfelder said. “We were able to offer Cleta a choice in her treatment.” Read Cleta’s story here.

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