Losing an Eye

Today I read a post in Paul and Jenny Geelen’s blogg  that addressed the huge issue of choosing to have an eye removed, and the emotional impact this has on the person concerned.

The reference was to an older person with cancer in her eye. I’ve had the experience of having to have an eye removed without choice being involved, and choosing to have an eye removed. The first case was when my cancer was diagnosed as a baby. The second was when my other eye collapsed when I was an adult.

Whereas my parents would say that witnessing me lose an eye as a baby was the worst thing they could have imagined, for me, the decision to have an eye removed as an adult was the hardest one I’ve ever had to face. There was no support for me, no one to ask what it would be like, what I could expect. I tried hard to prepare myself for the operation, but as I was wheeled into theatre, I became an emotional wreck.

People who are going through a similar experience need to be able to speak to others who have gone through the surgery. Support is essential. People need information so that there is no fear of the unknown.

I’ve written about both these experiences in my book, ‘Beyond the Red Door’. I’d like to see other books that have stories of these experiences that can be shared by people who are about to lose an eye. 

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