Bully agony of face cancer victim

Gemma Elsworth has endured years of bullying

A recovered cancer patient who had her eye removed and major surgery to her face has spoken about the years of bullying she has endured.

Gemma Elsworth, 22, from Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, was 10 months old when her parents noticed changes to her eye which turned out to be cancerous.

She underwent years of surgery leading to a complete recovery, but her facial scars led to schoolyard taunts which have followed her into adulthood.

She plans to start up a support group.

Her parents first noticed changes to her right eye when she was a baby, leading to years of surgery to fight the malignant tumour growing in the muscle of her face.

Surgeons diagnosed rhabdo myosarcoma, a form of cancer that attacks the soft tissue of the body.

Her parents noticed changes to her eye when she was a baby

She underwent chemotherapy and her eye and the surrounding tissue had to be cut away in order to save her life.

However, the cancer had spread to her nose and jaw, which meant that throughout her childhood and teenage years, she had to go through more surgery including facial reconstruction.

Although she has been given the all-clear, the physical effect of the cancer has been devastating to Ms Elsworth's life.

Gemma's eye had to be removed as part of her treatment

"I was bullied from the age of about six all the way through until I left school and I'm still getting grief now," she said.

"I get taunted and I've had stones thrown at my house - and it's all because I've only got one eye.

"But I'm trying to put the past behind me and I'm moving on with my life."

Ms Elsworth, who has a prosthetic eye, described living with a facial difference.

"It is hard - and very emotional," she said.

"One woman contacted me and we went for a walk in the park, and while we were walking around she asked me if I felt stupid walking next to her because she had a disfigurement.

The cancer spread to her jaw and nose

"She told me that she never normally goes out because of it and it is so hard.

"There are so many people out there with a facial difference but there isn't a lot of support out there and I want to change that.

"I want to give something back, so that is why I'm planning to set up a support group for people living in south Wales," she explained.

Ms Elsworth is now in the process of raising £3,000 to start up a branch of the Let's Face It charity support group.