A Son's Love

Adam shares his story.

“I travelled with my aging father, Abdulai Adam, to take advantage of the free cataract surgery event. We live in Kpalbe, a town in the Savannah Region of Ghana. My father is quite old; although we cannot ascertain his actual age, we think he may be about 86 years old. Alongside some of my brothers, we travelled 110 km to the Tamale Teaching Hospital to treat his deteriorating eyesight.

I love my father dearly. He has been wonderful and very supportive of all his twenty-one children. Some of my siblings passed away; we are now nineteen, five girls and fourteen boys. Despite his old age, he has never relented in his efforts to fund my education, even as he struggled with his sight.

I graduated from nursing school and look forward to working at a government hospital. In the meantime, I have taken up a job at a private clinic and have yet to save enough to care for myself and my father. Accessing such expensive eye surgery for free is indeed a blessing.

When my father was young, he was a very successful farmer in our community. I wasn't yet born to experience his prosperous years, but the stories I hear from my older siblings sing his praise.

His eye problems started in 2020 when he noticed that his night vision was far better than during the day— this was abnormal. His condition worsened over time, leaving him with little vision even at night. Until now, he could only identify people around him by listening to their voices. We sought medical care, but the cost of surgery for cataracts was too expensive for my family. We have been managing his deteriorating eyesight at home. We purchase eyedrops and try herbal remedies when we can afford them.

The radio announced the Cure Blindness Project outreach and we decided to give our father a chance. When we arrived we were directed to the eye clinic. There was quite a large crowd, so we queued to register and begin the screening process. My father cannot walk, so I had to be beside him all the time. For my father, the whole process has been bearable. His only worry was securing his eye patch to avoid any post-surgery complications.

We arrived late for the post-op care, so we asked a health worker for assistance. We had a successful surgery per the post-op and were given eye drops and other medications to use till our scheduled review in a month. My father is happy and can confirm that he can see more clearly.

I am also delighted about the improvement in his vision. We look forward to the changes the surgery will bring to his life and that of his family. Most notable would be his ability to take his medication even when we are not home. He will also recognize our faces instead of guessing from our voices.

We can't wait to share the news with the rest of the family as we journey back.”

Abdulai Adam is one of many patients whose lives and families have been impacted by free, sight-restoring surgery provided by Cure Blindness Project and our partners. Restored sight leads to restored lives.