Sight Restored for 12-Year-Old
Hayat is a 12-year-old girl who had been unable to see clearly with her right eye for more than three years. Because she also lives with Down Syndrome, she has difficulty communicating and expressing what she feels, so she couldn’t explain the problem with her eye to those around her.
Hayat had to stop going to school because she struggled to understand her lessons. Even so, she stayed active at home and enjoyed helping her family with daily tasks—especially serving coffee and doing small household chores that interested her.
One day, while preparing coffee, her father noticed something wasn’t right. Hayat was struggling to pour coffee from the jar into a cup—an activity she used to enjoy. Concerned, her brother decided to take her to Boru Meda Hospital for a medical check-up.
At the hospital, the medical team examined her eye and diagnosed her with congenital cataract. They scheduled her for treatment through a Cure Blindness Project outreach program. When the outreach team arrived, Hayat’s brother brought her all the way from Kelela, a town 180km from Dessie, Ethiopia, so she could receive free treatment.
Dr. Tolosa performed surgery on Hayat’s eye. After the operation, Hayat regained vision in the affected eye, and she and her brother were overjoyed to see the improvement.
Mubarek, her brother, shared his feelings:
"I was very sad about her condition because she loves helping our family with her abilities. Now I am very happy. Thank you to Cure Blindness Project."
