When Ron Hamilton was 27 years old, the eye doctor discovered something in his left eye that worried him. After several weeks of testing, he was rolled into the operating room, not knowing what the outcome would be. As Ron slowly regained consciousness after surgery, his wife gave him the startling news that the doctor had found cancer and had had to remove his left eye. The doctor gave him his first patch, and suddenly, Ron was a pirate! Kids were fascinated by the patch and soon began calling him Patch the Pirate.