Flavio lives in a humble home in a remote village in the mountains of Guatemala. He used to work as a farmer, but now he is unable to see and cannot do it anymore, even though he is still very physically active. Flavio is an incredibly selfless father and grandfather. He has five children, and 21 grandchildren who all live with him and his wife in their small home. One of his daughters has special needs, so he spends most of his days taking care of her since he is unable to work on their plot of land anymore.
Flavio has cataracts in both his eyes, which have been bothering him for as long as he can remember. In the past couple years, he has not been able to even go to the corner store without help, because he is not able to tell apart the different bills and coins. This makes him frustrated. He lacks the independence to do even simple things on his own, but he wants to be more helpful to his family.
Surgical treatment will give Flavio the independence that he has been craving–he will no longer be held back by his poor vision. He will be able to go to the store on his own, and maybe even help out on the farm once his vision is repaired–giving him another chance to do all of his favorite things that he hasn’t been able to do for years.
Flavio shares, “I am happy because my vision is going to get better. When I can see better I will be able to continue working and walking around my village without having problems.”