Woman, 41, diagnosed with stage four cancer after complaining about 'flickering lights' at work
A 41-year-old woman is currently fighting for her life after being diagnosed with stage four cancer, having first noticed 'flashing lights' during meetings at work.
Lara Vivo, from Bournemouth, UK, first began experiencing unusual vision during work meetings in March 2019, when she began seeing 'flashing lights' that would leave her with headaches.
When her colleagues said they hadn't noticed anything unusual with the office lighting, Lara initially put it down to stress. But after spotting an advert for a free eye test, she decided to get her eyes checked, assuming she might simply need glasses.
Instead, the optician she saw immediately referred her to an emergency eye unit - where she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer affecting the middle layer of tissue in the eye.
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"I remember saying 'hold on a minute, did you say cancer?' I don't remember much else," she admitted.
"I came out the waiting room and burst into tears to my partner."
Lara underwent three operations over six months, during which she moved to Spain to stay with family.
"After that I thought it wasn't coming back, and even at the start of this year my oncologist told me I was past the point of it returning," she said.
But things grew increasingly tragic as the months passed by.
"Then they found cancer in my liver. Now this is life or death for me, if I don't do anything this will kill me. But I'm not giving up, I want to live."
She added: "As of March 2026, I am considered stage four terminal."
Doctors told Lara there is no NHS-funded treatment available to her, leaving her fundraising for £120,000 to pay for chemosaturation therapy - a treatment which involves delivering targeted chemotherapy directly into the liver.
Lara hopes to undergo three rounds of the specialist treatment at Southampton General Hospital, which cost £40,000 each, and has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise the money, which she hopes will give her a chance at fighting the cancer.
"I've been given a grim diagnosis but I've been researching and I'm not giving up, I want to live," she said.
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Lara says she is determined to keep fighting.
She said: "I don't look ill, but I'm fighting for my life now. And this cancer is persistent, but I'm not giving up.
Lara urged: "If you're sensing something is wrong with your eye, get it checked."
Mia Williams