Kenny and Sue Colbert share the story of their daughter, Kenan Colbert Koll, and how it led to the initial investigation of ocular melanoma diagnoses in Huntersville, NC.

1. • Kenny and Sue Colbert
• Parents of Kenan Colbert Koll
• We have lived in Huntersville, NC for 25 years

2. • From Kenan’s blog in her own words…
• February 2009 - Diagnosed with Choroidal
Melanoma in my left eye
• February 17, 2009 - -Saw Dr. Mruthyunjaya at
Duke University to work out a treatment plan
• February 25, 2009 - enucleation to remove the cancer!

3. Kenan was married June 20, 2009

4. Kenan married Billy Koll. The love of her life!
Billy was there through every scan, doctor’s appointment, and struggle.
We are still very close to Billy!

5. Starting in February 2009, Kenan got a CT scan
every 6 months to monitor her body for any
cancer cells that may have traveled from her
eye to another part of her body.
• March 8, 2011 - CT Scan
February 22, 2011 - Kenan had a 6 month
check up with Dr. Jablon (her wonderful retina
doctor in Charleston who originally found the
tumor in her eye and scheduled all of her CT
scans)

7. March 9, 2011 - Dr. Jablon called to tell Kenan
they found a spot on her liver they had not
seen before. They were suspicious the spot
may be melanoma so they sent her to MUSC to
have a biopsy to confirm.
• March 14, 2011 - Fine needle aspiration liver
biopsy at MUSC
March 15, 2011 - PET Scan

8. Based on all of the scans and the
biopsy the doctors determined that
the cancer had spread to Kenan’s liver

9. Then, there were lots
of trips to Philadelphia
Treatment with Dr. Sato
and Dr. Gonsalves at
Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital

10. Kenan, like Rocky, ready to fight!
October 11, 2011
1st Treatment of
immunoembolization

11. Kenan introduces you to
Meredith
Meredith was 24 years old and also
battling metastatic ocular melanoma.
They both went to Philadelphia to see
Dr. Sato and Dr. Gonsalves for
treatment.

12. • Meredith, Kenan, and Brian

13. • Kenan and Meredith had A LOT in common. As you know, about 6 in 1
million people are diagnosed with ocular melanoma. About 3 of those 6
people will have melanoma spread to another part of their body.
Unfortunately, Kenan and Meredith fell into that very small population.
• Get ready for the weird part…
• They both were originally diagnosed in 2009, within 2 months of each other.
They both went to the same high school, Hopewell High School in Huntersville, NC
• Their Dads were fraternity brothers at UNC at the same time (Go Heels)!
• The coincidences really made us wonder and our doctors were
shocked by all of the similarities! Kenan stated that she absolutely
hated that the two of them were battling this terrible cancer, but
she was thankful that they had each other. Kenan felt Meredith
was the only person in the world who could understand what goes
through her mind on a daily basis and she was a great support
system.

14. Meredith and Kenan

15. • Kenan and Meredith learn about the third young
woman from their high school diagnosed with
Ocular Melanoma in 2013

16. Summer was diagnosed with
Ocular Melanoma in 2013
• Summer was 19 years old when
diagnosed
• She attended the same high school that
Kenan and Meredith attended
• Summer’s cancer metastasized in
December 2018
• Summer is being treated at Duke
University Hospital

17. Summer and Meredith

18. Kenan and Summer never had a
chance to meet in person…

19. Kenan’s treatments continued

20. •In between treatments…
•Kenan and Billy traveled
and enjoyed their lives

21. Married life was filled with love, laughter, travel,
and hospitals!

22. Chicago, West Coast and
San Francisco

23. Billy could always make her laugh!

24. Her Brother, Pete still follows her lead !

25. Kenan was Honored by Roy Williams
at his annual Cancer Fundraiser
a year before she passed away.

26. April 2014
Queen’s Cup

27. May 24, 2014
Kenan requested a day at the beach,

28. Kenan with her father, husband, and brother…
four days before…

29. Kenan attended an engagement
party May 25, 2014
The last picture
with my sweet
Girl!

30. That
Smile

31. No Words needed…

32. Kenan passed away May 28, 2014
• Mrs. Kenan Colbert Koll
• June 30, 1985 - May 28, 2014
• Charleston, South Carolina
She was only 28
years old

33. • Thank You
• Dr. Mruthunjaya, Dr. Sato, Dr. Orloff
• And Dr. Gonsalves !

34. • Huntersville, North Carolina
A cancer Cluster of OM in our town

35. • July 2014
Vicki, Summer, and Courtney’s 1st TV
interview to bring attention to our cause

36. • February 2015
• The original group of 7 …
• We discovered each other through social media

37. Jessica diagnosed November 2017

38. July 2016
Senator Jeff Tarte secured a $100,000.00 grant to
use for an Ocular Melanoma study in Huntersville,
NC

39. Thank You NC State Senator, Natasha Marcus, for introducing a bill
to give $100,000 to the Town of Huntersville to aide in finding a
cause for the Ocular Melanoma Cancer Cluster in our area.
March 2019

40. Thank You Senator Vickie Sawyer for
filing a bill to name and study cancer
clusters in NC
March 2019

41. NC Senate Bill 297
Sawyer files Bill To Study Cancer Clusters in NC

42. Welcome Auburn, Alabama cancer cluster
friends
Together we fight to find a cause of
Ocular Melanoma.

43. Together, we are looking for a
cause to find a Cure OM!

44. Team OM
Thank You