By Donna Campbell | Executive Director
Have you ever had the chance to meet a hero? I did today! Several, in fact. I am visiting Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and had the opportunity to meet 25 of our young retinoblastoma patients and their families. Some came 75 kilometers or more for an event to celebrate their courage in surviving cancer. They ranged in age from a two-month-old girl, who is just starting treatment, to 17-year-old Jayanthi, who is taking her 12th standard in a few months and hopes to go to college. I met Diwakar and his baby sister Rithka Sri – who’s no baby now. She’s seven years old and all smiles. Another girl has low vision in both eyes as a result of cancer, but that hasn’t stopped her from winning several awards for sprinting.
Retinoblastoma is a malignant eye cancer that primarily strikes children under the age of five. In the U.S., it’s over 90% curable, but in India, because of late diagnosis and treatment, many children lose their sight and sometimes their lives.
Many of the kids I met have been coming to Aravind for several years. They’ve gone through several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Some have lost an eye and been fitted with a prosthesis, custom-made by our ocularists to match. Their families have worried and suffered with them. They are all heroes of Aravind.
The one thing they didn’t have to worry about was how to pay for their treatment – thanks to you. Your donations helped these children receive the best treatment available.
Thank you again for your kind and generous support. If you would like to know more about Aravind and our work with retinoblastoma patients, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can email me at donnacampbell@aravind.org -- I would love to hear from you. Follow us on Facebook @AravindEyeFoundation or tweet us @Aravindeye.
With gratitude,
Donna Campbell, Executive Director
"Intelligence and capability are not enough. There must be the joy of doing something beautiful."
From the journals of Dr. G. Venkataswamy, Founder of Aravind Eye Care System
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