For two years, Sokh could not see clearly enough to walk through his own home without one of his children to guide him. He is 57, a fisherman, and a father in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia. It came on slowly, his sight fading over three years until the last two, when he could not see at all. The man who had spent his life on the water, providing for his family, now needed that family to lead him from one room to the next, even to the table to eat. Then his daughter took him to get help.
At a nearby hospital, the local eye care team restored his sight through cataract surgery, provided free of charge and made possible by donors like you. When the patch came off the next day, Sokh looked around and recognized the faces of his family, the people who had cared for him through those long years. “I can see again,” he said, smiling with happiness. “I feel like I have my life back.”
Now Sokh can move through his home on his own. And after years of relying on his family for the smallest things, he can now help take care of his home and family again. He hopes to return to the sea and to have his second eye treated, too. Thanks to you, Sokh has regained his independence and joy.
This Father’s Day, you can give another father that same moment.
For just $50, you can restore someone’s sight. That covers cataract surgery, including the lens implant, post-op care, and transportation to and from the hospital. It’s one of the most impactful and popular gifts in our Gift of Sight Catalogue. For Sokh and his family, it was everything.
Somewhere, another father is being led by the hand through a home he can no longer see.
This Father’s Day, your gift in honour of the fathers in your life can be the reason his sight returns. You can choose to send a card or an e-card to let them know how their gift is transforming a father’s life.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Liz Brant – Executive Director
