Martha Cenko

Martha Kuzmowych-Cenko is an optometrist / eye doctor in Dunkirk, Maryland.

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Martha Cenko was born on June 30, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pa. She attended St. Basils , Girls High School, and Temple University. After graduating from Pennsylvania College of Optometry in June of 1973, she worked in a private practice in Philadelphia until her marriage on May 10, 1980 to Alex Cenko.

She moved to W. Babylon, New York, and worked in a private practice in Brooklyn. She was offered a partnership in this practice, but decided that being a mother would preclude that. Alexander Cenko was born on August 19, 1981, and Andrew Cenko on August 23, 1983.

Since she considered that being a mother was her most important task, she stopped working until Alexander and Andrew were old enough to attend day care. She worked part time until we moved to Philadelphia in May of 1988. We also bought a dog named Gorbash.

Since bringing up the children was very important, she enrolled them in Ukrainian school, and helped with both their English and Ukrainian homework. In addition, she was a very conscientious Optometrist, and I spent many sleepless nights because she was always trying to figure out how she could help her patients even more.

In 1988, while practicing with a new instrument, she learned that she had a mole in her right eye. Since this could be a precursor of eye cancer, she had the mole evaluated every six months. In 1998, the mole turned malignant, and was treated with radiation. In 2001, the cancer returned, and received laser and cryogenics treatment. She became blind in her right eye, but continued practicing Optometry since both sons were still in college (she used to joke that their schools were her Mercedes, but it was more like a Mazerati before they were finished).

In Feb. 2007 her cancer had spread to her liver and kidneys, and she was given six months. Luckily she found Dr. Sato in Philadelphia, who treated her with chemotherapy, imunoembolization, radiation and surgery. She also finally got a chance to do the traveling she couldn't do before. In Dec. 2010 her cancer spread to her brain, and since then neither chemotherapy nor surgery helped. Throughout her life she was loving, honest, and determined. Throughout her sickness she was incredibly brave. Her last words to her brain surgeon this August were “Could I get a face lift while you're at it?”