Kelly Culbertson lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she works with non-profit hospitals and clinics in rural areas, helping them secure funding so they can continue to serve their communities. She and her fiancé also foster rescue dogs through Adopt A Pal Animal Rescue (and have adopted six!).  

During a routine eye exam in February 2025, doctors found a tumor in her left eye. She chose to do proton radiation therapy in March and April at Northwestern in Chicago. Her doctor there referred her to the Eye on Grace Foundation.

“The travel costs have been a significant burden as I have not been able to work. We must travel from Cedar Rapids to Chicago to get the best treatment plan for my case. Hotel costs, food, gas and parking are all new expenses packed into a tight time frame, and that you can’t really plan for. It is a lot to mentally comprehend,” she says.

“Having the foundation help has been a savior for me. To be able to focus on getting healthy and doing what I need to do knowing I can at least cover the hotel and traveling costs is a game changer,” Kelly says.

It can be lonely to have a rare cancer like OM. Kelly says she wishes people understood that it’s ok to ask questions, and that they realized the concern about metastasizing. “Once I completed radiation, everyone was so happy and congratulating me. All I can think about is meeting with an oncologist and coming up with a plan of attack in case anything pops up,” she says.