Look into Ryan Gibson's eye, and you'll see one of his passions. His prosthetic right eye sports the logo of FC Bayern, a soccer team in Munich, Germany.
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Why Does This FC Bayern Superfan Wear a Prosthetic Eye?
As PEOPLE reports, Gibson experienced blurry vision and dark spots in his right eye. This led the North Carolina man to be diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2016. Doctors said he could treat it with radiation or amputate it.
Gibson chose the latter. He decided to replace it with a prosthetic, giving him the chance to "go back to normality, [where] nobody will really know" he has a prosthetic eye or "go big."
"I could have gone the regular eye route and matched it to my remaining eye, but what fun would that have been?" Gibson said in 2016. "Instead, I chose to have an FC Bayern eye made for two reasons. First, it instantly brings up my love for Bayern in conversation, and second, that leads straight into talking about ocular melanoma."
The Eye Doubles As a Conversation Starter
Gibson says his prosthetic eye also helps raise awareness for the disease that caused him to lose his real one.
"I want to use it as a tool, not just an eye," Gibson told reporters. "At some point in the conversation, they'll get up the nerve to go, 'What happened?' When they get to that point, then you have the opening for awareness of ocular melanoma."
Gibson said he had to submit a letter of permission to use the FC Bayern logo to his ocularist.
"And, boy, has it accomplished what I wanted!" he said. As people learn more about his story, Gibson has garnered over 130 million social media impressions. In 2022, a black version of his FC Bayern prosthetic eye was on display at the German Football Museum, as part of the Football Is My Religion exhibit.
He said, "Through it all, I have learned that if you can figure out how to have fun with something tragic, like an ultra-rare eye cancer, you can motivate and inspire millions, as well as create unrivaled awareness for your cause."
