Ethiopian Soldier Sees Again
While on night patrol in the country’s northern region, Fisum heard a noise and began running through a grove of black thorns to investigate. In the dark, he couldn’t see where he was going. A sharp thorn scratched his right eye.
At age 23, Fisum Besha was living his life as a soldier for the Ethiopian government. The job gave him stability and a steady paycheck. He looked forward to the future.
While on night patrol in the country’s northern region, he heard a noise and began running through a grove of black thorns to investigate. In the dark, he couldn’t see where he was going. A sharp thorn scratched his right eye.
“The pain was very hard. I can’t walk by myself and my friends helped me back to our camp. It is not easy to get treatment at the camp. They just gave me eye drops without an examination,” he remembers. “I totally lost my eye vision.”
Blind in his right eye, he left the military and moved back home to his family’s farm.
Fisum tried traditional medicine to treat his blindness but he did not recover. He became resigned to a life without sight.
News of a free surgical outreach hosted by Hawassa Hospital and supported by HCP Cureblindness was welcome news. "I was happy to hear that because I am struggling to walk at night,” he says. “(Without the outreach),I can’t be able to see clearly."
Fisum was one of over 800 people helped during the 5-day outreach: some mothers, others fathers, farmers, merchants, and at least one former soldier.
After a successful surgery, Fisum can see clearly in both his eyes. At 25-years-old, he’s got a lot of life ahead of him. He thanks the doctors and outreach team for their work to help him regain his sight.
