A Bell’s Palsy Victim Tries to Make the Best of Her Situation by Auctioning Off the First Ever ‘Eye Patch Advertising’ Opportunity on eBay

(PRLEAP.COM) Tanya Spradling, an Orlando woman recently diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, is auctioning off advertising space on her eye patch to the highest bidder on eBay. Tanya was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy on February 3rd after a visit to Florida Hospital East’s emergency room. She first noticed the symptoms of what she thought might be Bell’s Palsy when she lost her sense of taste. The next day, she had no control or movement in the left side of her face.

This occurrence is Tanya’s second bout with Bell’s Palsy, however the first time she recovered in under a week. As of this writing, it has been just over a week since she was first diagnosed, and she has not noticed any improvement in her condition. It is not uncommon for victims of Bell’s Palsy to experience a reoccurrence several times in their life. While usually temporary, 1 out of 3 victims will suffer from Bell’s Palsy permanently, and may experience facial disfigurement. Tanya has been prescribed with several medications, all with severe side effects- including nausea, dizziness, insomnia, and a few other unpleasant side effects. Her condition is only noticeable when she makes facial movements, however she does have to wear an eye patch day and night to prevent her eye, which she cannot shut completely due to the palsy, from drying out.

Since Tanya felt like everyone was looking at her anyway every time she left her home, she decided to try and sell advertising space on her eye-catching eye patch. As the saying goes, "when life deals you lemons, make lemonade." Tanya enlisted the help of her fiancé, John Hill, who frequents the online auction site, eBay, to help her create and list an auction offering the sale of her ad space. The auction can be seen at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5665784566 or by going to www.ebay.com and entering item number 5665784566 in the search box. The auction promises 30 days worth of advertising on Tanya’s eye patch, as well as agreeing to wear any apparel the winning bidder chooses to provide. The advertising can be in the form of a website, business name, or anything else the advertiser chooses as long as it’s appropriate and not vulgar or hateful. During the 30 days of advertising, Tanya and her family of 3 will also be visiting several amusement parks and will celebrate the sale of the auction at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. Family members and friends will join them; all who have agreed to wear the winning bidder’s advertising apparel. 15% of the final sales price of the auction will be donated to "Angel’s with Special Needs," a non-profit organization working to help children with cerebral palsy and other chronic related conditions. Cerebral palsy is a more serious condition than Bell’s Palsy that mostly affects young children. Tanya chose this charity after learning there were no Bell’s Palsy specific charities backed by eBay’s charity provider, Missionfish.com, but she is more than happy to contribute to children suffering from other types of palsy. After all, she has a one-year-old son herself who, thankfully, is in perfect health.

Could this be the next crazy eBay auction to make national headlines? In comparison to the many purchases already made on the auction site that have created a media frenzy, including permanent tattoos of a company’s URL and a $1,800 hot dog, Tanya’s "eye patch advertising" may not be such a far cry. She isn’t, however, putting her expectations too high and doesn’t want to get her hopes up on something she finds as more of just a funny auction that no one will bid on. Tanya’s main concern at this point is her health and her family, both of which plan to stick around for a long time.