Blessing’s everyday life has been full of obstacles – and exclusion!
The six year old boy was born with cataracts.
His father passed away and his mother abandoned him. He is living with his grandmother Victoria in a village 40 kilometres south of Uganda‘s capital Kampala.
Victoria was too poor to afford to take him to the hospital, so his cataracts have been left untreated for many years.
Learning is difficult
Blessing goes to school. It’s only a ten-minute-walk away but he often bumps into objects and falls.
According to his teacher he is an intelligent boy but still attends the first grade of pre-school instead of grade one according to his age.
The reason is that he has great difficulties in recognizing what’s written on the blackboard or in books and that makes learning very hard for him.
Children avoid Blessing
Other children hardly ever play with him. They often laugh at him and exclude him from their games. He mostly sits alone, plays with some bricks or fills sand into bottles.
Victoria’s biggest wish
“I wish our Blessing could see like all other children, I wish he can properly learn at school and he will be independent one day.”
New hope: Blessing will be able to see again
Thanks to our cbm Child Sponsors the team of our partner CoRSU Hospital found him and referred the family to Mengo Eye Hospital where Blessing was examined. The specialists diagnosed cataract in both of the eyes. Good news: the chance that Blessing might be able to see again is quite high.
A few weeks later Blessing received surgery. Aunty Stella brought him to the hospital.
Under anaesthesia the doctors removed the cataracts and replaced his clouded lenses with artificial ones – it only took 40 minutes.
Blessing can now see
The next day Blessing has an appointment with Dr Lisbon to take the bandages off. What an exciting moment! After the bandages were removed Blessing slowly opens his eyes and smiles all over his face.
To make sure that he can really see Dr Lisbon checks his eyes with a torch and there was no doubt.
Exploring the world
Blessing couldn’t be held back for the rest of the day but the most touching moment was probably when he discovered a small mirror above a sink in the ward. He has not been able to clearly see his own face before and now he beams with joy
A unique reunion
Eventually Blessing was discharged from the hospital with some eye drops but needs to come back every week for follow up examinations. When Blessing arrives at home his grandmother was obviously unaware of the fact that he is coming back but when she sees Blessing she starts to lift her arms to clap and starts dancing, laughing, singing aloud and praising the Lord, before she finally embraces her little Blessing. Victoria’s wish for her little boy now came true!
It’s time for glasses
Blessing’s vision might not reach full capacity because he already lost time in terms of vision evolvement but glasses that have been adjusted for him two and a half months after his surgery will improve his vision further.
Thanks to cbm Child Sponsors Blessing is even livelier today and no longer excluded anymore. He is so happy with his new life.
