My Story

I was 32 years old, the mother of three small children, when diagnosed with a malignant tumour in my right eye, which had to be removed. Many years have passed since then, but I must say it is possible to live a normal life, doing everything a two-eyed person can do.

Over the years I have driven an ambulance for the almoners of Royal Perth Hospital, cars and buses for Red Cross, driven buses for Rocky Bay Crippled Children, and driven for Meals on Wheels. Also I have been to America to visit family, and have driven consistently over there on the wrong side of the road!

As a younger person I played tennis and golf, – not to any high standard, – nevertheless only having one eye was no deterrent.

It is best if you make sure you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself, keep busy. I think it also helped me at the time that my husband and children would joke and tell me that I was looking with the wrong eye, instead of sitting down and crying about it.

My best advice to anyone losing an eye is get on with your life, visit Paul and Jenny who perform their magic on you, they help you build your confidence, and leave you looking absolutely normal, in fact my family tell me the last eye which I had made this year is better than my normal one!!

Reprinted with permission from Jean Hartz. You may link to this story, but please do not copy or otherwise circulate.