I wear glasses. I have for as long as I can remember really, I started wearing them at primary school. With them on, my sight is good. Not perfect, but good. It’s even better with lenses, but they’re such a hassle. Without them, I can barely find my way across the room, and I can’t recognise anyone. If I have any problems with my glasses, my lenses or my sight in general, I can go to an opticians, or to a doctor, and get it fixed. My optician has referred me to the hospital before now, to get something checked out, and it’s a straightforward process.
A straightforward process that we take for granted. I remember my bio dad having cataracts when I was in my teens. It wasn’t a big deal. They were dealt with before he had any real problems seeing, I don’t think it even involved a hospital stay.
It’s not the same as that everywhere. Even though cataracts aren’t difficult to treat – surgery takes about 20 minutes and costs just £30 for an adult and £50 for a child (they need a general anaesthetic), millions of people in the developing world are needlessly living with sight loss; they might not know treatment is available, healthcare services sometimes aren’t available or people can’t afford to get to hospitals, let alone pay for an operation.
Sightsavers is launching an ambitious project called A Million Miracles. They’re aiming to raise £30 million pounds for sight restoring procedures over the next couple of years. Can you imagine that? For £30, just £30, you could give someone their sight back, make a massive, massive difference in their life, and that of those around them.
I can’t really imagine being blind. I can’t imagine not being able to pick up a book and lose myself in another world. Not being able to watch my children growing. No more sunsets or sunrises, no instagrams of other people’s lunches.
Hm.
But seriously, can you imagine it? What would you miss most? The idea is terrifying. We can make a difference. And as part of this campaign, we can see the difference.
On October 8th, you’ll be able to #SeeTheMiracle. Winesi’s been losing his sight for 12 years and he’s been completely blind for two. He’s never seen his youngest grandson. On 8th October, reporting live over Google+ hangout from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Malawi, we’ll follow Winesi before, during and after surgery (don’t worry, it won’t be gory!), guided by the incredible surgical team. You can watch via this link.
And on 9th October we’ll join him as the bandages come off and he sees clearly for the first time in years. Sometimes in this situation we see tears, sometimes singing and dancing. Either way it’s always an incredibly special moment.
The campaign started today. You can follow it across a variety of social networks:
Starting 1st October, using the hashtag #SeeTheMiracle, the story will unfold on:
www.millionmiracles.org . On twitter, and instagram and of course, blogs. Read more at Thinly Spread, where Chris is gathering bloggers’ posts.
And if you want to donate, here’s the link you need – donate a miracle.
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