Meet India Fenwick - the first contestant with a prosthetic eye to reach the final of Miss England.
The 21-year-old was born with a condition called micropothalmia, which left her completely blind in her left eye. She developed the birth defect after her mum Claire Fenwick, 51, caught an infection called toxoplasmosis from a restaurant when she was 10 weeks pregnant.
Unbeknown to Claire, the infection was passed to India while she was in the womb. It attacked the optic nerve, leaving it severely damaged, and affected the development and growth of her left eye. India was left blind in her left eye and her eyeball 25% smaller than her right eye.
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India, who lives in Ponteland, Northumberland, said said she has struggled with her mental health after being bullied at school for her appearance. Before starting sixth form, she began to use a prosthetic lens.
Following the coronavirus pandemic, India decided to make a stand and represent those who have been born with defects. She entered Miss England and was thrilled to discover that she had been listed as a finalist. India will now be the first ever contestant with a prosthetic eye to reach the final.
India, who works part-time as an estate agent, said: "Birth defects can be a very isolating challenge for both the family and child affected. I want to use my profile as a Miss England finalist to spread the message that with plenty of love, support and encouragement, everything will work out.
"I call having a small blind eye my special gift! I was given microphthalmia, because I know I am strong enough to overcome any challenge that comes my way and help others to feel confident in their own skin in the process."
When she was a child, India was advised to wear a conformer in her left eye to open up her eye socket so she could get used to the feeling of wearing a prosthetic lens. However she said struggled to wear a prosthetic lens due to the pain.
India, who also works as a graphic designer for her own business 'Hope Socials', said: "There is nothing that quite explains the feeling of wearing a prosthetic lens for the very first time apart from sheer panic, your body tries to reject it immediately and there really isn’t any pain like it."
India said her family told her she was beautiful just the way she was and she had a "peaceful" and "happy" childhood. She said her friends at school loved her strong character, her good humour and her kindness.
However India said that when she went to Ponteland High School, things became more difficult for her. She said she was bullied for her appearance and described her four years there as "disturbing" and "heart-breaking".
She said: "I was constantly tormented by a large group of boys at my school, the abuse felt constant. The police were involved and the bullying did ease, however by that stage I felt so worthless, I thought the world would be a better place without me in it. I started to self harm, I suppose to try and feel something other than self hatred and anger.
"A far cry from the confident funny little girl I’d been. Luckily I had a good relationship with my parents and was able to confide in them which resulted in me getting the professional help I needed."
The summer before India started sixth form she decided to try and wear a prosthetic lens again. She had one made for her by the NHS and wore it on the first day of sixth form. She said: "It gave me so much confidence, I felt like me again."
India said she was taking antidepressants as she struggled with her mental health but during the covid-19 lockdown she made the decision to manage her mental health in a different way. She journaled, drew and painted, taught herself meditation techniques and dedicated months to learning to love herself again with and without her lens.
She said: "I felt such a burning desire to reach out to others suffering with mental health, bullying and disabilities. I realised my first step should be to speak out about microphthalmia.
"I discussed with my parents how I’d like to stand up in front of all the young children with anophthalmia and microphthalmia and give an inspirational speech and make YouTube videos showing handy hints on ways to use makeup to enhance a small eye etc as when I was younger I would search for 'celebs with microphthalmia' and makeup tutorials for different sized eyes but there wasn't anything."
India said she was encouraged by friends to enter Miss England earlier this year. She said: "I was born with a gift which has had me on a rollercoaster of a journey from love to hate to adoration!
"Now that I have this amazing opportunity as a Miss England finalist, I hope it will provide a suitable platform for me to tell my story and give inspiration to families and children affected by birth defects and mental health issues. We are all unique and special in our own right and we can all achieve our dreams!
"If you walk through life with a strong mindset and self love, your life will be filled with love and happiness. As soon as I changed my mindset I realised how unique I truly am and how many people I can help to inspire!"
The Miss England final will take place at the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport in Birmingham on October 16 and October 17. The winner will get the chance to compete in the 71st Miss World.
Angie Beasley, Director of Miss England, said: "India is the first ever contestant to reach the Miss England final with a prosthetic eye. I've been organising Miss England since 2002 and before that I organised Miss UK, both on behalf of Miss World and I've never come across anyone with this condition.
"India is already doing quite well, she made the Top 10 in the Miss England Sportsround last Saturday and took part in a Penalty shoot out at the LCFC Football Dome! The sports round is a tough one to conquer and the PT was impressed with her efforts.
"There is also a Beauty with a Purpose element where contestants are encouraged to inspire others and raise funds for the charity so India is doing just that speaking out about something so personal to her. I think India is a very inspirational lady wanting to use the platform to share her story and I wish her well in the contest."
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