Blind for Four Years, Cured in 20 Minutes

Blind for Four Years, Cured in 20 Minutes

Pacific mums looking for a Mother’s Day miracle

Kiwis are being urged to forego the usual chocolates and flowers this Mother’s Day and give mum a gift that will make a life-changing difference.

Specsavers stores have teamed up with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ to sell $25 Miracle of Sight cards for mum. Each card sold will help restore sight to a blind person in a nearby Pacific nation.

Specsavers Lower Hutt co-owner and dispensing optician Irene Noval said she was inspired to get involved by stories of mums like Gladen Bong, from Vanuatu, who had been blind for four years before her sight was restored by a straightforward operation.

“Gladen is a mother of six who travelled for a full day by boat to visit a Hollows NZ outreach clinic in Vanuatu. She was given the good news that her blindness was treatable and she would have surgery later that day to remove the cataracts,” Ms Noval said.

“It absolutely blows me away that someone could be blind for years from a condition that we can cure in just 20 minutes! We take it for granted in a country like New Zealand that we can access excellent medical and health services but we don’t realise how lucky we are.”

Ms Noval said she was incredibly touched when she heard Gladen’s story.

“Gladen was absolutely ecstatic when the eye patch came off and she could see for the first time in years. She immediately burst into tears and began thanking everyone around her, her joy was so infectious!” she said.

“She had this huge smile, she was telling everyone about how excited she was to see all her children again and all the mischief they’d been getting up to because she hadn’t been able to keep an eye on them!

“The Miracle of Sight cards really do make a difference and bring hope to those in the Pacific who are needlessly blind and feel like there is no way out.”

The card tells a story of a person who has had their sight restored through the purchase of a Miracle of Sight card.

Ms/Mrs Noval said the cost of the card was a small price to pay for someone’s sight.

“Every card that is purchased up to Mother’s Day will be helping someone in the Pacific to see again which is just amazing,” Mrs/Ms Noval said.

“The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is a fantastic charity with a strong connection to eye health, which is why we are so passionate about supporting what they do.”

Pam Williams-Jones, Marketing and Fundraising Director at Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, said she hoped that families will come into Specsavers stores and purchase a card for their mum.

“Just $25 can help to change someone’s life forever. I couldn’t think of a more wonderful Mother’s Day gift,” Mrs Williams-Jones said.

cards are available now from any Specsavers store. Visit www.hollows.org.nz for more information.

ENDS

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