Sanjit’s future could have faded away

When their son Sanjit was born, his parents Pramila and Alexh knew something was wrong with his eyes.

The family live in a rural village close to Bhubaneswar in India. Sanjit is a quiet, shy boy: when he was younger, he followed his mother closely because his father was often away at work.

As Sanjit grew older, the problems with his eyes became more obvious. He was unable to walk to school by himself because of his poor vision, and he relied on his mother to help him make the journey. In the classroom his eyesight stopped him from being able to study, but he still wanted to attend to avoid feeling left out.

However, his parents were unable to afford the care they knew Sanjit needed.

Pramila was so proud of her little boy, but years of worry had affected her deeply: she became tearful when she spoke to us about the struggles Sanjit faced.

Thanks to the support of people like you, we were able to reach Sanjit. We reassured Pramila that the amazing eye health staff would do everything they could to help her son.

I have given my child to you and I am hoping for the best. I have faith that everything will be fine. It is no longer in my hands.

Sanjit and his family were taken to Kalinga Eye Hospital in Odisha: the hospital’s mission is to provide care to the poorest communities who cannot afford to travel.

After an operation on his right eye in the morning, Sanjit had his first bandages removed that afternoon. He sat very quietly while his mother offered reassurance, telling him how brave and good he was being. When the nurse put drops in Sanjit’s eyes, he cried a little due to the soreness.

A surgeon confirmed that although the operation on Sanjit’s right eye had been successful, they wouldn’t be able to operate on the left because the cornea had been damaged beyond repair.

Sanjit’s parents were upset by the news, but they were still positive the sight in his right eye would allow him to join in at school once again. And they were happy when Sanjit gave the hospital director a friendly wave from across the room.

When we visited Sanjit at home a few days layer, we weren’t expecting a huge transformation, particularly as he had only had surgery on one eye, and he had been so quiet before. We were wrong!

From the moment we arrived at his house, we could see a big difference. It was quite something to see what had been such a shy and quiet little boy running around playing football with the other kids in the street and handing out sherbet from the local street vendor. Both his parents were pleased with the results of his operation, and commented on his new-found independence.

We left Sanjit’s house feeling ecstatic. This little boy had been transformed in a matter of days. Sanjit can now continue his education and secure a future filled with opportunities. We were able to reach him in time, but there are so many more children like him.

Please help us to change more lives. Thank you.