Six beautiful stories of couples who couldn’t wait to see each other again.
We’ve seen so many stories of sight restoration, but the most romantic ones are when someone who was once blind gets to see the face of their beloved – sometimes for the very first time.
We don’t have words to describe the tenderness of that first look - so scroll through this delightful photo series…and see what love really means.
Sudip Lama and his wife of just two months, Kamala, came to a remote eye camp in Manpur, Nepal, in the hope that Sudip would be able to see again.
Sudip’s eyes were so clouded with milky cataracts that, even though he’d just married Kamala, he’d never seen her face
After surgery, Dr Sanduk Ruit asked Sudip how many fingers he was holding up. Sudip immediately answered, and as the doctor moved away, Sudip finally saw his wife’s face for the very first time.
Kenyan couple John Manaui Avalon, 87, and Henderika Obayo, 77, have been married for 57 years. They literally depend on each other for everything...so when they both started losing their sight, the future seemed terrifying.
Henderika said she knew John had an eye problem because he would sometimes complain about getting lost coming back from long days at work as a labourer.
They only made it to an eye camp because Henderika finally went to a hospital and was then referred to The Fred Hollows Foundation outreach eye camp.
Now that they have their sight back, they know they can rely on each other - just like they always have.
Laotian couple Mai One (83) and Yom (81) have been happily married for more than 60 years.
“We fell in love after just one day, the next day Mai One came back and asked for my hand in marriage.”
Mai One and Yom were both diagnosed with bilateral cataract during a door-to-door outreach organised by Fred Hollows Foundation-supported doctors.
It was a heart-warming sight after their dual surgeries: Mai One and Yom – still inseparable, but now able to look at each other. As they reminisced over an old photograph of their younger selves, Mai One expressed his happiness: “it’s a second love for us, we can fall in love all over again.”
It’s a second love for us, we can fall in love all over again. - Mai One
It’s clear how instrumental Priscilla’s role is in Peter’s health. Her husband is an Indigenous artist living off the coast of Elcho Island in Arnhem Land, Australia. They met years ago and have raised four children together.
Priscilla’s words stirred something in Peter, and to this day, his first priority is to pass on his cultural and artistic knowledge to the children around him.
When Peter’s eyes started to fail him, this great hunter and fisherman struggled to see much within his immediate field of vision. Priscilla supported him through his operation - even though post-operation he joked with the nurses about being single!
In 1978, Ngin was ordered to marry Phork, a woman he did not know. Their wedding day was the first time they had ever seen or spoken to each other. But there were no thoughts of attraction or compatibility because life under the Khmer Rouge was reduced to survival.
Over the years, love blossomed for the couple, but tragedy befell them when Ngin lost both his legs as part of a mission he undertook for the new Cambodian army.
There is one person I want to see – my wife - Ngin
Being confined to a wheelchair made Ngin largely dependent on his wife - and she never left his side. Then he started to go blind from cataract - and the effect it had on Ngin’s mental health was painful to watch.
Before he received eye surgery, we asked Ngin what he wanted to see the most. Without hesitation, he said, “my wife’s face. I love her so much.”
Anawari, an artist and Aboriginal Health Worker from the Blackstone (Papulankutja) community in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of Western Australia, was understandably worried about her 62-year-old husband, Winston Mitchell. As a traditional owner and land manager, he’d started to struggle as his sight deteriorated.
Without hesitation, Anawari, agreed to a 12-hour journey to Alice Springs Hospital so she could support her husband as he got his sight restored.
In just 20 minutes, Dr Tim Henderson, removed Winston’s cataract. Afterwards, with Anawari looking on, Winston indicated which direction the letter E’s were facing on the eye chart perfectly.
Anawari’s delight was clear to see - as was the relief on Winston’s face when he smiled at her.