‘There was no other option’: Young woman, 22, has her left eye and eyelid removed in life-saving surgery after a red spot turned out to be a rare and aggressive cancer

Source: Daily Mail UK, March 2016

A brave young Melbourne woman, who had her left eye removed after she contracted a very rare form of ocular melanoma, is now telling her story to raise awareness about the disease.

Jess Van Zeil was diagnosed with the rare form of ocular melanoma in January last year, and on October 9, 2015, she had a life-saving and life-changing operation that resulted in the removal of her eye and eyelids with surgeons closing off her eye socket.

‘It all started for me when I noticed a red spot on the white of my eye that gradually got worse as I got older. It was then I was sent off to an eye specialist and I had my first operation in 2013,’ Jess explained to Daily Mail Australia.

The 22-year-old is now involved with organisations such as the Melanoma March to help breed a better understanding of the disease.