Little Blessjah Adegoke is just two years old and already he has learned that life can be hard. He suffers from congenital cataract rendering him almost blind. Shortly after he was born his mother developed acute mental health problems and has been unable to consistently care for him and his two older brothers and more recently she has been bed ridden with malaria. Blessjah is lucky however to have the unwavering love and support of his father – Eniafe – and his grandmother who will stop at nothing to ensure his positive future.
Blessjah is a gentle and quiet little boy, who seems quite content in his own small world as long as he can feel his father nearby. He lives with his family on their farm in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria where his father rears cattle, goats and chickens and prides himself on growing the most delicious tomatoes in Nigeria. Whatever food is surplus his granny sells in a market stall to pay for the family's mounting medical bills.
Eniafe puts his faith in God and has been praying for a miracle to save his son's sight since he first noticed the ‘white flakes' on his eyes when Blessjah was just nine months old. So when a doctor at his local hospital told him about the ORBIS programme in Ilorin he was certain that this was the answer to his prayers and did not hesitate to leave his farm to travel over 400 km by bus to get to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital to meet the ORBIS team.
Even so, on the day of Blessjah's surgery both father and son were very scared and subdued, holding each other close. ‘My son is a precious gift to me', explains the softly spoken Eniafe. ‘I pray that he will be a great man one day and serve God and his Creator'.
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Dr. Itay Ben-Zion, ORBIS volunteer paediatric ophthalmologist, operated on Blessjah's right eye to remove the cataract at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital while simultaneously training selected local ophthalmologists in the latest paediatric techniques. He explains; ‘It appears that Blessjah's cataract are developing at a rapid rate, consequently his vision is deteriorating fast and his world is closing in on him.' |
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The operation went smoothly and come morning when it was time to remove the patch over his eye something amazing happened, Blessjah could see clearly! The affect was also instantaneous; he stared at the lights in pure wonderment and then within minutes began reaching for coloured balls that were placed in front of him. His little brain working in overdrive taking in the new stimulus as he discovered that he could connect his sight to his actions. |
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Low vision expert and ORBIS volunteer ophthalmologist, Dr Linda Lawrence, was also on hand to further support Blessjah and advise his father on how to stimulate his development. In the weeks to come Blessjah will return to Ilorin to have the cataract removed from his left eye too as in paediatric cases generally doctors wait between surgeries in case of complications. Blessjah, like all children, will require regular checkups and refractions to ensure that he gets the most out of his vision. |
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With Blessjah giggling and grabbing the coloured balls and soft toys around him, his father could finally crack a smile of his own and breathe a deep sigh of relief: ‘God sent this programme to us in Nigeria, it is the best of its kind. I do not know the words the express my gratitude to ORBIS, you are angels. My family cannot express or repay you, we will hold you in our prayers. You are doing God's work'. |
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