“Ban is married with six children and six grandchildren,” our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), reports. She is 79 years old, and lives with her family in Cambodia.
“Ban has had cataracts for ten years,” shares CSC, “she feels very useless and boring because she is unable to do work herself. She also can’t go to the pagoda unless her daughter takes her. She feels bad for occupying her daughter’s time so much.”
Ban’s cataracts severely impair her vision. The lenses of her eyes are so clouded and damaged that the lenses themselves are wrinkled, and the insides are solid and shrunken. Without intervention, Ban will lose her sight completely.
For $225, Ban will undergo an operation to remove the cataracts. In a short procedure, doctors will make a small incision in the eye to remove the clouded lens and replace it with a new, artificial lens. These funds will cover the surgical costs, medicines, and care for a successful surgery.
After the surgery, Ban will be able to see clearly out of her right eye. One to two weeks later, doctors will operate on her left eye and fully restore her vision.
Ban looks forward to enjoying life after surgery. “She would like to see the faces of her family, and be able to go to the pagoda or anywhere without taking someone with her,” shares CSC.
