THE GIFT OF SIGHT

 

 

Trudie Goodwin, better known as Sergeant June Ackland of 'The Bill' visited the Evangelical Churches of West Africa (ECWA) Eye Hospital in Kano, Nigeria, which Christian Blind Mission supports. This is her report.

 

 

 

"Can you imagine living for years with cataract blindness, perhaps reduced to begging, when a simple operation is all that is needed to restore your sight, and your life?"

 

 

Imagine having to beg to survive. What would it take to reduce your life to this? Probably only a devastating change in circumstances would leave you begging for survival. Dije went blind. Blind from cataract. That's all it took to shatter her life. How did she survive?

Dije, aged 60, had been blind from cataract for four years and could no longer gather or pay for food, or use her open cooking fire. Her husband was elderly and somehow she needed to support them both. Dije went out after dark to beg for food. I could hardly believe that this lady, whom I was getting to know, had been reduced to this existence. I want to tell you about her - about her blindness, about her battle for survival and about the wonderful moment in her life when all this changed.   Hansatu, aged 40, had also been blind from cataract for four years. Her movements were wooden and she was almost expressionless

I knew people with cataract before I went to Nigeria. But I had never known people who were blind and lived in communities that simply couldn't afford the support they needed. I had never met people who suffered the physical and emotional strain of being reduced to begging because of their blindness.

 

My task with CBM was to collect Dije and Hansatu from their village, Taura, about 60 miles east of Kano and support them through their cataract operations. It was time for me to see the 'miracle of sight': the simple operation that removes cataract that I have heard and talked so much about. But now I was getting to know these women - their lives, their hopes, their fears - I felt extremely anxious and really prayed this miracle would happen for them.

 

 

Back at the hospital that evening Dr Kiru, the senior consultant ophthalmologist, examined both Dije and Hansatu's eyes and was confident their operations would be straightforward and successful. He scheduled them for an operation the very next morning. I asked Dr Kim what is the success rate of cataract operations? - "When there are no complications, about 100%".

 

Watching through the training microscope, I saw how Dr Kim made a quick, small incision in the eye, loosened the clouded lens (the cataract), and then pulled it carefully out through the incision. Underneath was Dije's brown eye looking back at me: uncovered for the first time in four years and no longer masked from the world. All that was left to do was insert a new lens and stitch up the eye. The whole operation was over in just a few minutes.

 

Now it was Hansatu's turn. Can you imagine living for years with cataract blindness, perhaps reduced to begging, when a simple operation is all that is needed to restore your sight, and your life?

 

Early the next morning it was time to remove the bandages. I had no idea how Hansatu in particular would react. It took a few seconds for her eye to focus, and then the most beautiful smile spread across her face. It was the first time I had seen her smile, and she had a look of pure joy. "Nagode, nagode!' she exclaimed. ("Thank you, thank you!") And she genuinely meant it - from her heart.

 

The next day Dije and Hansatu had their other eyes operated on. Their eyes were treated separately to reduce the risk of any post-operative infection affecting both eyes.

The whole experience was incredible. But for me the day we took Dije and Hansatu back to their village was the most special.

 

 

"I am going to see my husband now", Dije told us. "I haven't seen him for four years!" Getting out of the car back at the village Hansatu said, "I can decide where to go now. Look! I am going left! I don't need anyone to lead me anymore."

 

Dije strode off, determined to lead the way back to her hut.

 

 

 

But in the excitement of being home, we lost Hansatu. I found her sitting under a tree, touching the face of a young child; her three-year-old granddaughter; who she could now see for the very first time.

 

 

 

It is these moments of pure joy; this transformation of someone's life; that giving sight is all about. This is the wonderful work we can be a part of as supporters of CBM.

 

 

Sadly, there are over 20 million people like Dije and Hansatu, who are still blind from cataract. You could give a gift that will last a lifetime.

You could give someone their sight for just £20. Write to CBM, FREEPOST, ANG6010, Cambridge, CB4 6YA or Tel: FREEPHONE: 0800 169 8659. Or give online, visit www.cbmuk.org.uk