Spencer Cancer Center patient launches nonprofit helping hundreds battle rare condition

For Spencer Cancer Center patient, Ashley McCrary, cancer has never been just a diagnosis. It has been a journey marked by loss, resilience, faith and an unwavering determination to help others.

McCrary’s organization, the Eye on Grace Foundation, supports many across the United States who are battling ocular melanoma. The foundation provides eligible patients with travel grants to help alleviate the costs that can come with pursuing treatment. 

Less than two years since Eye on Grace’s founding, McCrary’s nonprofit has helped sponsor over 2,000 trips for more than 200 patients.

“I think it has somewhat changed the landscape of how ocular melanoma is being treated, because we have sponsored people in 49 out of 50 states, three Canadian provinces, Japan, Israel, Norway, and Costa Rica,” McCrary said.

McCrary’s battle with cancer began in 2012 when she was diagnosed with ocular melanoma, an extremely rare form of eye cancer. Approximately 2,500 Americans are diagnosed with ocular melanoma each year. The condition required the removal of her right eye. 

Although it’s within the melanoma family—which are types of skin cancers—ocular melanoma often spreads through the bloodstream, meaning cancer often reappears. In 2020, McCrary’s condition returned with more than 100 tumors appearing in her liver. 

She qualified for a clinical trial in Philadelphia, offering a possible treatment, but with the cost of complete commitment. To participate, McCrary would have to travel weekly from Auburn to Philadelphia for treatment. She decided to take the opportunity.

After completing 230 trips to Philadelphia between 2021 and 2025, McCrary’s cancer journey brought her back to the Spencer Cancer Center and the care of James Lennon, D.O.

“One of the drugs I was in a clinical trial for received FDA approval, so Dr. Lennon was able to get it here,” she said. “He really jumped through major hoops for East Alabama to be able to offer it because it can be a very tricky drug.

“Since he did that, I was able to come and do weekly treatments here at the Spencer Cancer Center.”

Though her expenses for travel and lodging for the clinical trial were covered by a cancer indemnity plan, McCrary recognized that many may not have that luxury. She felt called to make a difference. 

“Through the years I began meeting people who wanted to do what I was doing but faced a toxic decision about paying for it,” McCrary said. “I can’t imagine having to be a spouse of someone facing this and knowing there is a treatment, but not having a way to get them to it consistently.”

Through a mixture of donations and proceeds from selling her handmade artwork, McCrary’s foundation is impacting the lives of ocular melanoma patients across the nation. 

“My husband, Dave, and I started the foundation in May 2024, because I was painting and thought ‘if I could sell this artwork, maybe we could help two or three people a month,’” she recalled. “As of two weeks ago, we’ve sponsored over 2,000 trips and more than 200 patients.”

Since May is Ocular Melanoma Awareness Month, McCrary—and Aubie, the mascot of the Auburn Tigers—visited patients and staff at the Spencer Cancer Center to help raise awareness about the visit. As part of the visit, she encouraged the community to get screened for ocular melanoma with a dilated eye exam.

About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, East Alabama Medical Center North in Opelika, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 316-bed regional referral hospital. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 4,100 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.