A Texas woman who thought she was suffering from pink eye said it was “mind-blowing” when she realized that her eyes were showing her something far more serious.
In the spring of 2023, Kelly Mann was juggling life as a mother of three and a university professor in Abilene, Texas, when something unexpected disrupted her routine. Both of her eyes turned red, and the irritation didn’t go away with antibiotic eye drops.
“I thought I was coming down with the worst pink eye of my life,” Mann, now 38, told TODAY.
The redness resolved on its own after about a week. But then it returned – again and again. Over a span of close to three months, the issue cycled in and out at least six times between April and June. At the time, it seemed like a frustrating but isolated problem. Then one night, something else changed.
Common warning sign
While sitting on the couch watching TV, Mann reached to scratch her arm and felt something unusual – a lump.
“Then one night while watching TV, I went to itch my arm and felt a lump,” she said of her shocking find. “My husband was asleep, so I kind of panicked and went back and forth, like, ‘Is this what I’m really feeling, or am I making this up in my head?’”
The next morning, she immediately scheduled a doctor’s appointment to have the lump checked out.
After a mammogram and biopsy, she waited anxiously for the results. They came in late July – just days before her 36th birthday.
Breast cancer
Mann – who had a clinical breast exam in April that showed no abnormalities – was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
“I was, obviously, devastated,” Mann told TODAY, adding that over the next while, the tumor had grown “from being completely undetectable” to just under three centimeters “in about six to eight weeks.”
Given the tumor’s size, Mann started chemotherapy and targeted therapy as the first phase of treatment.
Recurring symptom
Soon after her first chemo session, the eye symptoms returned – more intense than ever.
“After my first chemo, I had the same pink eye situation pop up again,” she said. “I was so frustrated, and it was one of the worst versions of it.”
People reports that frustration led her to consult an ophthalmologist friend, who explained it was episcleritis, a condition involving inflammation of the episclera – the transparent layer covering the white of the eye.
Unlike conjunctivitis, episcleritis isn’t caused by an infection. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can sometimes occur without a clear trigger but is also associated with systemic inflammatory conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
According to Oxford University Hospitals, some case reports have documented episcleritis in individuals with cancer, either linked to the cancer itself or as a potential side effect of therapy.
‘Mind-blowing’ realization
“Your eye, being an organ, will respond in unique ways to things happening in your body,” said the mom, who was prescribed steroid eye drops to treat the condition that was expected to recur during treatment.
“Episcleritis was my first real, tangible symptom that I had,” she said of her startling realization. “I thought it was fascinating and also crazy and mind-blowing that your body really does know what’s going on far before any normal diagnostics could make sense of it.”
Treatment and recovery
Mann completed 12 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction in late 2023. In March 2024, she had an exchange surgery, where temporary tissue expanders were replaced with permanent implants. Her targeted therapy treatments continued through October 2024.
The physical toll was intense, she said, adding that one side effect was a “really intense chemo rash.”
But she said she had “three little souls watching me and worried about me” and refused to give up.
Today, as part of her ongoing cancer prevention plan, Mann receives a monthly ovarian suppression injection and takes aromatase inhibitors. These therapies induce medical menopause – and with it, a long list of symptoms.
“I get severe joint pain, extreme hot flashes that make me nauseous, I have mood swings, brain fog – everything you can think of that can be associated with menopause,” she said.
The episcleritis hasn’t gone away completely either; she still experiences occasional flare-ups.
Raising awareness
Mann says the journey has changed her – not just physically, but mentally – and now she shares her journey with cancer on social media, connecting with others facing similar diagnoses.
“Sometimes I’m the first person they told, or it’s their caregivers that are reaching out to me,” she said of her conversations with her followers. “I just decided that, because I couldn’t find that resource for me, I wanted to be that resource for other women.”
While episcleritis isn’t commonly associated with breast cancer, Kelly Mann’s case adds to a small but growing body of evidence that unusual inflammation – even in the eyes – can sometimes point to something more serious.
Did you know that some cancers can first appear in the eyes? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story and help Kelly Mann spread awareness!
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