Rosemary is a 77-year-old widowed mother of seven who has spent a lifetime caring for her family. She lost vision in her right eye after a firewood accident in 2005. Now a cataract is clouding her left eye, the only eye she still depends on to see. Rosemary has moved from one facility to another in search of help, sometimes relying on over-the-counter eye medication for temporary relief. Because of her failing vision, she now depends on her son to accompany her whenever she needs care.
Rosemary is also a grandmother, and great-grandmother to a large family, which mainly earns a living through casual labor. Rosemary has always taken pride in her small farm, where she grows maize, beans, and vegetables and cares for chickens, goats, and cows. Farming has been more than work to her; it has given her purpose, food, and the dignity of remaining independent.
After learning that she needed cataract surgery, Rosemary hoped to raise enough money to pay for Social Health Insurance cover and promised to return after one month. She never made it back. When the social worker followed up, Rosemary explained that she had been unable to raise the money and had nearly given up. A condition that can be treated has therefore continued to take away her independence simply because care is beyond what the family can afford.
The social worker encouraged Rosemary to come to hospital, and she traveled back with the help of her son. Fortunately, on September 3rd, doctors will perform an incision and intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, Rosemary needs help to fund this $244 procedure.
She says: “I really wish that the surgery could be done to restore my sight again, so I can see like other people, cook for myself, and also go back to my farming.”