Community held fundraiser to help family of mother who died from eye cancer

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - Jessica Boesmiller, a Huntersville mother with a rare eye cancer called ocular melanoma, died last month from the disease.

“She loved her family and her friends to a fault,” said Mark Boesmiller, Jessica’s husband.

He said while his kids are the priority right now, he still wants answers.

“Finding out why such a rare cancer is at such a high possibility in this area I think is very important,” he explained.

“She was a true miracle. Wonder woman,” her friend said.

“You see her smile. If she sat right here next to you, you’d think, you’d be friends with her your entire life.”

Doctors say every five in one million people get it, but Boesmiller was one of nearly 20 people in the small Huntersville-Cornelius area to be diagnosed.

The community held a fundraiser in her honor Sunday.

“Jess is here. You can see the sun is shining, it’s a beautiful day for a beautiful person,” said Terry Maher, Jessica’s friend.

Her death earlier this week brings up questions about why so many cases of ocular melanoma are popping up in one area.

“Where is it? Where is it? Is it in the ground, is it in the water?” another friend, Teri Libby, asked.

The puzzling question led to state-funded research in 2020.

After multiple tests of blood, soil and the environment, researchers who teamed up with the town of Huntersville said they did not find anything.

As Boesmiller leaves behind a husband and four children, she will be sorely missed in the community.

Her fundraiser was Sunday from 1-7 p.m. at Eleven Lakes Brewery. Community members say all donations will help Jessica’s husband with medical expenses.