Willie's Story

I have been based in the West New Britain province of PNG for over three years now and we have made some fantastic progress in that time, making a real difference to so many people here.

One of those people is Willie, a widower with seven children from Akam, a remote village on the south coast. When we first met Willie on an outreach last March, he was gradually losing his vision in both eyes due to cataract and had retired from his job in the palm oil industry.

Hoping to retain his independence, Willie tried to tend his vegetable gardens and sell the vegetables so he could send his younger children to school.  He would walk slowly along the paths to his garden, feeling the way, often falling over. His children helped him when they could but he could not be sure what they were doing, and they often ran off leaving him alone.

As his vision deteriorated he was reduced to being pulled along at the end of a stick, which he called his ‘faithful friend'.  He had been a wise person in the village, a respected decision maker, but now he felt increasingly isolated and depressed.

Willie heard about our work on the radio and asked his son to help him get to Kimbe, the provincial capital. This involved a two-day trip on foot to the eastern coast of the island, tripping slowly along rough mountain paths, sleeping in the bush overnight and two long boat trips.

I saw Willie near the end of the operating session the next day. We operated on one eye that day, and treated the other eye the next.  Later that night I cheated and lifted his eye pad. 

His sombre face broke into wreaths of lines as he smiled and tears rolled down his face as he realised he could see again. Two days later his vision was clear and he threw away his stick forever.

Late last year, I went on an outreach to the south coast.  By coincidence, the boat we travelled on was moored a few minutes from Willie's village. I asked some of the canoeists if they knew him, and that afternoon we went to find him.

A gentle, reserved man, Willie was so happy and proud that we had found him again. He has now completely regained his independence and is able to fish, wearing sunglasses to avoid the glare.

Once again highly respected in the village and, by helping to dispel local fears about cataract surgery, he encouraged others to come forward for to have their eyes checked when we visited his village.

Later that day he visited us with his granddaughter and gave us a huge bunch of greens from his garden.

It is really humbling to hear what people suffer as a result of visual impairment, and how so many manage against the odds. Willie's experience shows that a relatively low cost surgery really can transform lives

To help The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ restore sight in Papua New Guinea click here to donate