Through the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal, with just one blanket to keep them warm during bitterly cold nights, Sudip and his wife Kamala walked for two days to reach the remote eye camp.
Sudip’s eyes were so clouded with the milky colour of cataract that all he’d been able to see for the past seven years were shapes and shadows. He had recently been married, but had never seen his wife’s face clearly.
When Sudip and Kamala heard there was a chance for him to see again, they didn’t think twice about the two day walk to reach the eye camp.
We heard at a village meeting that the doctors were coming that looked after eyes. We did not take very much time to think, we just decided to come.
- Kamala
Dr Sanduk Ruit, a world renowned eye surgeon and good friend of The Foundation examined Sudip. Dr Ruit recommended Sudip have both eyes treated, but Sudip was afraid the operation wouldn’t work. Dr Ruit, who has operated on over 120,000 people, knew otherwise.
A little soothing Nepalese music in the operating theatre and some reassuring words from Dr Ruit eased Sudip’s concerns. In 20 minutes, both cataract had been removed.
The next day, Sudip and Kamala waited with the other 130 villagers who Dr Ruit and his team had treated. All had walked for days. As Dr Ruit came to check on Sudip’s progress, Kamala helped remove the bandages covering her husband’s face. Dr Ruit asked Sudip how many fingers he was holding up. With great joy, Sudip immediately answered, and as Dr Ruit moved away to see other patients, Sudip finally saw his wife’s face for the first time.