As a tailor, sharp eyesight is a must. How else could you follow a pattern, thread a needle or stitch a straight line?
But what if your eyes started to fail you?
That’s what happened to a tailor named Thomas, who lives in Kapsumai village in Kenya. He’s proud of his successful tailoring business, which enabled him to put all of his kids through school.
After years of successful work, one day Thomas noticed the vision in his left eye seemed blurry. “At first, I could no longer thread the eye of a needle. I needed to ask other people to help me. But then I’d end up sewing completely off the mark!”
Worse, a year later the vision in his right eye also failed. Unable to do the quality work he was accustomed to, his business deteriorated and one day, finally closed. Within two years, Thomas was totally blind.
He went from being the breadwinner of his family to a dependent, unable to even walk around on his own. His wife and children needed to help him with everything.
It seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, but one day while his wife was outside working on their small farm, Thomas fell and badly injured both his legs. From that point on, he was forced to stay inside to nurse his wounds. Thomas worried himself sick, but there was little he could do.
“My future seemed full of darkness and suffering,” he told our staff. “I felt useless.”
Family members encouraged Thomas to try traditional medicine, but it didn’t help. Others told him to bear it, telling him that blindness was an inevitable consequence of aging.
But then – HOPE! Thomas heard about an Operation Eyesight-supported eye unit at the nearby town of Iten. His son took him there, and he underwent cataract surgery on both eyes. His operations were successful; and today, Thomas can see – and sew – again!
“My family and I are extremely happy! Now I can thread a needle’s eye just like before, and I’ve gone back to my tailoring business. My customers are coming back and life has become sweet again,” he told us.
He added with a smile, “To the people in Canada, you made my future bright. I was hopeless, but now I’m a man full of hope. Thank you!”
There are many other incredible men like Thomas who suffer from avoidable blindness, and they need your help. Give the gift of sight today, and restore not only someone’s sight, but their lifestyle and dignity – For All the World to See!