A bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates definitely have their place on Mother’s Day, but imagine giving the gift of sight to a mum so she can see again? Can you imagine the impact blindness must have on mothers? Not being able to see your children, nurture them or provide for them is devastating, on top of the fact that you’re losing one of your most important senses and human ability. We want to bring you the stories of six mothers from around the world. See the incredible transformation that sight-restoring surgery has had on them and their children.
When Thol was pregnant, she developed cataract blindness in both eyes. If that wasn’t bad enough, her husband abandoned her – he didn’t want a wife who was blind. With four children to support, Thol found herself alone and reliant on her children for her food and care.
Thol had spent years in misery and her children bore the brunt of her blindness. But with a 15 minute operation, their situation was reversed. As Thol opened her eyes, she took baby Cheet’s face in her hands and saw him for the first time. “He’s fat!” she exclaimed. These days, Thol is selling vegetables and her children are going to school.
Tara Devi has to juggle work and taking care of her daughter, Santoshi. Santoshi has Down syndrome and never had the opportunity to go to school or work. “If anything happens to me, who will look after my daughter?” A couple of years ago, Tara started to go blind. At the eye camp, the medical team made a surprising discovery, Santoshi also had bilateral cataract. Santoshi’s poor vision contributed to Santoshi’s inhibition and reluctance to do things by herself.
The morning after the eye operation, Santoshi’s patches were removed and she couldn’t stop smiling and thanking the doctors. Tara was happily surprised to see her daughter interacting with other people, but above all, she was pleased to know Santoshi wouldn’t be completely dependent on her anymore.
Many trachoma sufferers are mothers and children who unknowingly pass infection to each other with every hug or touch. Blinding trachoma had caused the inner surface of Shashetu’s eyelids to scar, turning her eyelashes inwards to painfully scratch the front of her eye. If left untreated, Shashetu’d be irreversibly blind.
With the help of our supporters, Shashetu had the operation she so desperately needed. Three months later, Shashetu was transformed. The piercing pain that plagued her had gone, and her face now had a beautiful smile.
Morium Khatun, a Rohingya woman, was blind for 10 years and had not seen her son Mohammad since he was a child. When the violence started in her village, Morium and Mohammad knew they could not make the arduous journey out of Myanmar on their own. So they hired someone to help Mohammad carry her on the journey.
Now safe in the refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, Morium was able access the sight-saving surgery she needed. After 10 years of blindness, Morium was desperate to see Mohammad again. “My boy is very handsome. I am very happy to see him” she adds, as she playfully touches his face with her hands. The Fred Hollows Foundation was the first organisation to treat some of the thousands of Rohingya people with eye conditions.
Madam Mey, 87, shares her home with four generations of family. She’s had eight children in total and now has 17 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Mey became completely blind three years ago due to cataracts. For grandmothers like Mey, all they want to see their children and family members right until the final minute of their lives.
After the operation, Mey opened her eyes while still sitting on the operation table and said, “I see nurses!” Back home Mey watched the toddlers play and when one lost his beanie she walked over to place it back on his head before returning back to her chair. Such a small action, but for Madam Mey, it was pure bliss.
Chun Souk seven-month-old twins, Samlan and Sintham, were born blind from cataract, and without a sight saving operation, they could have been blind for life. This was no ordinary surgery, nothing this delicate and on children so young had ever been done before in Laos. That’s why the training of surgeons who can perform this kind of specialised surgery is crucial.
When the patches came off, there was so much joy in the room as Samlan and Sintham were able to follow the doctor’s torch and see their first toy, a little red police car.
The Fred Hollows Foundation is committed to achieving gender equity through our sight-restoring work because the burden of blindness is higher for women with the global number sitting at 20 million – that means 55% of the world’s blind are women. We are also working to ensure there is gender equity within The Foundation. Because when it comes to disparities, women are disadvantaged in every facet of life – education, career progression, health and wellbeing, as well as overall quality of life.
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