A MUM who lost her eye in a firework accident has posted graphic images of her injuries in a bid to warn others of the dangers ahead of Bonfire Night.
Amber Lewis, 46, from Cardiff, was left blind after attempting to set off a firework which hit her in the face “multiple times”.
The brave campaigner is now calling for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public following the removal of her eye in February.
The “upsetting” images show Amber in hospital after the accident with her eye badly bruised and streaked with blood.
Other images show her swollen and sore eye during the recovery process, as well as “Poppy” – her prosthetic eye.
The final photo shows Amber today, with her eye fully healed and the prosthetic in place.
The “inspiring” mother took to Facebook on Wednesday to share her story in the hopes of educating people ahead of Guy Fawkes’ Night.
She posted the images and wrote: “Sorry if my pictures upset you, they are upsetting, but just to show my full journey, and hoping coming up to bonfire night when there will be no firework displays and some might try and do themselves at home, warn your teenage children of the true dangers. It’s not worth it, trust me.
“I lost my eye in February to an awful accident with a firework hitting me in the face multiple times, had my eye removed the following day (Feb 1st, 2020) a day I’ll never forget I’m sure.
“Due to a number of operations and infections and Covid I’ve only just had Poppy (I’ve named my fake left eye).
“Let’s just say it’s been an eye-opener, the NHS were wonderful, I’ve only good things to say about the whole experience and I’m truly grateful not to be totally blind and able to live my best life.
“If I could ask one thing it would be that someone would learn from my mistake and never use a firework yourself, it was my first and last time.
“Losing my sight, looking different is a part of my journey, having the strength and the will to still be me is an achievement.”
Amber’s post quickly prompted an outpouring of support.
One woman wrote: “You’re an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your story.”
Another added: “Wow. What a story of bravery and courage, with a very happy ending. You look fantastic.”
And one person said: “I’m so sorry this has happened to you, you are so brave.”
Amber is now hoping to use her experiences to help others.
The mum added: “I’ve had so much love and support of course there have been bad times, where I felt so hurt, alone, lost, and pain like no other. These times became less and further apart.”
Amber told how she lost her eye after lighting a firework in her garden which fell over and went off twenty times.
She said: “If you look at the photos it hit both my eyes, so I’m lucky I’m not blind in both. It also went up my nose so I could have been left with brain damage.
“The guy I bought it from was licensed and I explained I’d never lit a firework before. He told me how to do it but the pressure was too great and it fell over and hit me multiple times.
“My whole family was there so they lived through this with me. I remember holding my eye and people trying to put cold flannels on it, but when I looked underneath my eyeball was completely black.
“I went to hospital and had it removed the next day. I’ve only recently started talking about it, at first I just wanted to hide away but I have been lucky, I can still drive and do the things I used to, it could have been a lot worse.
Amber explained that she was hoping to get the word ahead of a parliamentary debate on banning firework sales to the public on 2 November.
The social media and marketing manager added: “I just think there needs to be a more national approach.
“Even if there was some kind of disclaimer you sign before you buy them it probably would have made me think twice about it.
“I just hope I can help even one person.”
