A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy left permanently blind in one eye after a branch hit him in the face is determined it won't hold him back. The third and final operation to save the sight in James Matchett's right eye has failed because his retina was too badly damaged.
His mother Kerry, who lives off Hull's Willerby Road, said: "The last operation didn't work, so there is no chance of him getting the sight back in that eye.
"Now it is a waiting game as to whether the eye survives or shrinks and needs to be taken out and replaced with a glass eye."
James stepped on the branch in August as he walked home from playing out with friends and it flew up into his face, hitting him in the eye.
It happened just days before he was due to go and watch his idols Hull FC in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.
Since then, James has undergone operations at Hull Royal Infirmary to rebuild and repair his eye. It is the operation to repair his eye that keeps failing.
Kerry said: "His eye is looking good compared with what it did look like. It is slightly off to a side and looks like a squint."
Despite the setback, Kerry is proud with how James is coping.
"He's back rugby training and has been football training," she said.
"The Hull All Blacks rugby coach has been fantastic. He got the team to shut one of their eyes so they would know what it is like for James.
"I think I'm more worried than he is, but he can't really do any more damage to it.
"He's bumped into a few doors as he gets used to things.
"It is going to be a long road ahead."
Kerry first found out what had happened when James called her to say he had fallen over and his head was bleeding.
The Ainthorpe Primary School pupil was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary and spent an hour and 45 minutes in surgery.
She said: "It is affecting me more now than it did. Now it has settled down, I am thinking about it more.
"I am so glad James is feeling better. He is doing brilliantly."
Recently, James met former Wigan and Leeds rugby player Barrie McDermott, who lost the sight in one eye after an accident with an air rifle when he was 15.
Kerry said: "I got in touch with Barrie on Twitter and he met up with James when he was in Beverley.
"He sat and spoke to him face to face about his life and about the problems with the false eye.
"He was really nice and gave me his mobile number and said to give him a call if James had any problems.
"It was the first time I had seen James smile properly for ages.
"I am proud with how James is coping.
"He has even joked about it, saying when he was watching something he shouldn't have, that he was covering one eye."
