66-year-old Elsie Ndinisa from Soshanguve has gradually been losing her sight due to cataracts; unable to afford surgery, her son reached out to a group of Angels.
Johannesburg, South Africa (06 October 2021) – The Jacaranda Good Morning Angels have done it again! Through their platform, a deserving woman will get her sight back, along with 130 other state patients.
80% of all blindness is preventable, and one of the most common causes of treatable blindness or impaired vision is cataracts – a cloudy layer that forms on the eye lens. Because cataracts develop over time, it is usually associated with old age. In reality, cataracts are the leading cause of avoidable blindness in children too.
Cataract surgery is quick and mostly successful, but costly – up to R30 000 per eye in private facilities, while waiting lists in State Hospitals are at least three years long.
66-year old Elsie Ndinisa is a mother of two adult children from Soshanguve. She is a pensioner and lives with her son, Gladwin. Like so many families, they rely on her state pension and a government unemployment grant, as no one in the household is currently employed.
Gladwin is very worried about his mom, Elsie. She has been going blind gradually. They scraped together money to consult an Ophthalmologist – who advised that Elsie had cataracts. Removing these would take as little as half an hour, but at the cost of R30 000 per eye – funds they simply don’t have. That’s why Gladwin wrote to Good Morning Angels – who referred him to Operation Healing Hands for consideration for their annual Eye Week in October.
During Eye Week, selected state patients are assisted free of charge with cataract removal. They also host an Eye-clinic, where 100 people will get eye tests, glasses and prescription glasses free of charge.
Dr Marcel Niemand will be performing Elsie’s cataract removal, as well as all the other 32 patients at the Intercare Hazeldean Day Hospital, as part of Operation Healing Hands Eye Week.
The Good Morning Angels Fund will also donate R30 000 towards Elsie’s operation and the other 32 patient’s cataract removals. That is the average cost for one cataract operation, but because the doctors and medical staff are giving their time and skills for free. With the help of sponsors, the cost per operation is only R3 000 – that means Elsie and another ten people will be assisted.
The Fund is also helping Elsie and Gladwin with R10 000 for groceries, transport, and other necessities. This is a massive assist for the family during these trying times.
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The knock-on effect of all these fantastic, selfless donations is that more people are joining in to make a difference. Leading International Lens manufacturer, Carl Zeiss will donate 175 pairs of specialised spectacle lenses and frames and R20 000 towards Operation Healing Hands Eye Week.
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