Scots boy, 12, meets man at World Cup with same Scotland-themed prosthetic eye

A mum has shared the heartwarming moment her son met a man at the World Cup with the same Scotland-themed prosthetic eye as him.

Euan Allison, 12, had a brain tumour removed in 2023 and sadly had to have one of his eyes removed.

The schoolboy now wears a prosthetic eye.

Before he travelled to Boston to watch Scotland at the World Cup, his NHS ocularist at Glasgow’s Gartnavel Hospital made him a custom Scotland-themed prosthetic eye in her own time.

Euan’s mum, Amy, said the schoolboy was over the moon with the gift, which gave him a confidence boost.

Euan Allison, 12, had a brain tumour removed in 2023 and sadly had to have one of his eyes removed Supplied

The family, from Carluke, said they joked that he’d probably be the only person at the World Cup with a Scotland eye.

But while in Boston with his brother and dad, Euan was standing in a queue when a man approached him and said: “Nice eye! How did you lose yours? I lost mine in an accident.”

The schoolboy said he “couldn’t believe it” when he realised the man was also wearing a Scotland-themed prosthetic eye.

The man, called Mark Roberts, was from the Bahamas but had a Scottish wife.

Amy told STV News: “After everything Euan went through, we decided that a trip to America to experience Scotland playing in the World Cup would be amazing.

“Euan’s ocularist at Gartnavel Hospital has been absolutely amazing. Alongside his standard prosthetic, she crafted him a custom Scotland flag eye in her own time, specifically for our trip to the World Cup.

“Euan was over the moon and couldn’t wait to show his peers at Carluke High School and his teammates at Carluke Milton Rovers.

“We all joked that he would surely be the only person at the tournament with a Scotland eye.”

She added: “Euan explained [to the man] that he lost his eye to cancer. When he looked closer, he was shocked to realise the man was also wearing a custom Scotland flag eye.

“Euan was absolutely amazed by the encounter, and it made his trip even more magical.”