A MAN who lost one of his eyes following a brain tumour is taking aim at a career in darts.

Jordan Powell, 20, lost the sight in his right eye after being diagnosed with the tumour aged just five.

Despite being left with Nystagmus, a condition which causes involuntary movement of the eye muscle, he soon discovered he was rather handy at the oche.

He is now searching for a sponsor to kick start a possible career in the sport.

Speaking from their home in Patcham, Brighton, his mother Anne said: “He would want to make it a career. It’s really hard, however, he puts all the hard work in.

“Whenever he has a match we all go and watch him play, he is fantastic.

“Regardless of what happens, we are so proud of him and will support him all the way.”

Ms Powell realised there was something wrong when Jordan was just five. She said: “He was walking into things, and he couldn’t coordinate his pen to the paper in school.”

He was diagnosed in 1999 with a low grade tumour behind the optic nerve, for which he received eight weeks of radiotherapy.

Although this shrunk the inoperable tumour, he was left with a hormone deficiency which caused muscle weakness in half of his body.

The growth hormones worked to an extent, however, and have left him at a staggering 6ft 5in.

Jordan was also diagnosed with a personality disorder and as a result cannot work.

However, this gave him the extra drive to pursue the hobby that he loves – darts. Last year, he joined Sussex County Youth and he also plays competitively.

Ms Powell added: “When someone of his age can’t work and they want to do something, you have to help them.

“You have to make sure everything’s in place.

“He played a bit with his father when he was younger and now he has been fanatic for about a year. We are all really proud of him.”

If you would like to sponsor Jordan contact news@theargus.co.uk

A history of darts

THE history of darts can be traced back many hundreds of years to ancient Greece.

Greek warriors would throw spears at upturned ends of wine barrels during the intervals between battles.

However, it was during the Middle Ages the sport of darts gained popularity with men playing an early form of the game in pubs.

In 1530 it was recorded that Anne Boleyn gave King Henry VIII a set of richly ornamented darts.

The game was taken over to America by the Pilgrim Fathers on the Mayflower and in 1898 an American patented a folded paper flight, which resembles the modern dart.