EYE Believe! - Bold now has a very bright future
This holiday season, we’re asking you to believe. Right now, there are more than 90 million children around the world living with blindness or poor sight – each one with a unique but all too familiar story of the devastating impact of vision loss. We need your help to change the lives of these children and give them a reason to believe.
See How Orbis Helped Transform Bold's Life
LIFE WITH PTOSIS
When Bold-Erdene was born his mother noticed his eyes were different. His left eye was smaller than his right eye but she assumed this was normal. Growing up he remembers classmates saying to him: “Hey oh my God! I see that your one eye is smaller than the other one, why is that?" He was hurt by these critical remarks. Living with potentially blinding eye condition ptosis, Bold became withdrawn and shy due to his eye disfigurement and even used to take pictures of himself showing only one side of his face.
FINALLY SOME HOPE
In 2014 during a screening at the Mother's and Children's Hospital in the capital Ulaanbaatar he was referred to our Flying Eye Hospital program as one of the oculoplastics teaching cases. His ptosis (lid) surgery operation was to be performed by Dr. Yasser Khan, a volunteer faculty surgeon from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada.
READY FOR SURGERY
Bold-Erdene was a brave patient. Despite knowing that he was about to go into eye surgery as the last patient of the day, he sang songs from the animated hit film ‘Frozen’ while his anaesthetic began to set in. Our volunteers were particularly impressed with his fine singing skills and knowing the words by heart and hitting the high notes.
AFTER SURGERY
When he woke up he couldn't see straight away as his left eye was covered by a patch. His mother told us that when he got off his operating bed, he felt really tired and was a little unsteady on his feet. When he walked off the plane supported by his mom and our wonderful volunteer nurse Ann-Marie, he nearly fell over.
CLEAR VISION
When the bandage was removed at his doctors the next day, he saw everything very clearly with no more drooping eye and a new eyelid. The operation was a success! With his new found confidence, he started taking photos of himself again. First the right side, then the left side then comparing the both eyes.
BOLD'S FUTURE IS LOOKING VERY BRIGHT
Fast forward four years! We arranged for Bold-Erdene, then 14, to return to our current MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital when we returned to Ulaanbaatar in 2018. He shared some great news with us. He had graduated eighth grade and moving forward with his studies had opted to study biology and chemistry because Orbis inspired him to become a doctor. It just goes to show that a little bit of confidence can go a long way!
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EYE Believe! no child should have to face a lifetime of blindness when they do not have to.
