The family of a woman who died from a rare strain of cancer has raised almost £7,000 to help ensure patients with ocular melanoma are given the information, support and treatment they need.

Leigh Proctor, from Dartford, was diagnosed with uveal melanoma in January 2015 after she noticed flickering in her eye.

Uveal melanoma is a type of eye cancer, which can include symptoms such as blurred vision and vision loss, however can sometimes have no symptoms at all.

Leigh – who was married to Stuart and had children Ellis and Freya – was admitted to the specialist London Moorfields Hospital, where she had to have one of her eyes removed.

Her sister Claire Hennessy said: "When she first found out she was diagnosed she found it quite hard and was scared, but we all tried to be positive for her.

"She had the flickering in her eye, so her husband took her to Moorfields hospital in London.

"There, they told her that she had a detached retina. The next day the doctors told Leigh that she had a tumour attached to her eye, and because she went through private healthcare she was able to go in within a few days and get her eye removed.

"She was fine when it was removed, and the family paid for her to have immunotherapy in Mexico which was a three month-long programme and cost £40,000."

When Leigh was in Mexico her father passed away, however she had to stay and finish the programme.

She also went on an alkaline diet, which some studies suggest can help prevent cancer from developing. This is something Claire believes was beneficial.

She said: "She was okay for quite a while but then it ended up travelling to her liver. Around three months before Leigh passed away, her legs started swelling and she put on weight.

"Despite everything, we still thought she was going to pull through it, and had positive thinking.

"It's quite a rare strain and it's quite hard to control it – not many people survive it and there's not many options or successful treatments."

The particular strain that Leigh had only has about a five year 15% survival rate.

Claire said: "She was an amazing mum who did so much with her kids, she had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone."

Leigh passed away from uveal melanoma in 2019, at the age of 43.

Claire's daughter Macey organised a charity walk to raise money for Ocumel UK and has set up a JustGiving page.

Macey said: "We've still got a cheque and some money to go in, but we ended up raising just under £7,000 for the charity.

"We did a walk from London Moorfields Hospital where she was diagnosed, to her resting place in Dartford to show her journey."

There were around 20 people on the walk at the start, but more people joined in Crayford and there ended up being around 70 people there.

Macey said: "Every little helps. With donations, we can make a difference and save people's lives, because without money there is no research."