After five years of blindness, Philomena can finally see her family again — including the great-grandchildren she had only ever known by voice.
Philomena, a vibrant woman in her 70’s from the Solomon Islands, has a sharp mind, a big sense of humour, and a strong will. “My eyes don’t work, but everything else does!” she told us with a laugh.
She lives just outside Honiara in a village built entirely on family land. Every house around hers belongs to one of her descendants. With 34 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren, Philomena is the centre of her family. Her children and grandchildren listen closely when she speaks. Even while blind, she memorised her surroundings so well that she could point to the church, the clinic and the toilet with perfect accuracy.
Philomena had been blind for five years, completely in her left eye and with only limited light perception in her right. She had visited the eye clinic many times before but was turned away each time because of high blood pressure. Her family never gave up. They kept encouraging her to try again. Eventually, with support from her granddaughter and a referral from a former nurse turned local leader, she was finally approved for surgery at the Regional Eye Centre (REC).
“I want my eyes fixed,” she said calmly. She wasn’t nervous at all.
The morning after surgery, Philomena sat in the consultation room. As soon as the bandage came off, she cried out, “My grandchildren!” She pointed around the room, recognising faces for the first time in years. Then she began to dance, fist in the air, calling out, “My eyes are now so bright! I am too too happy!”
Later, she said, “Great joy! Big blessing! Prayers answered.”
She could see again.
For Philomena, the most meaningful part of regaining her sight was seeing her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Many of them she had never seen before. Until then, she recognised them only by voice.
Philomena’s daughter, Bernadette, had been her full-time carer for years. “I had to feed her, wash her, take her to the toilet,” she said. She rarely had time for herself. “It stressed me. I couldn’t do anything else.”
But after the operation, everything changed. Bernadette recalled waking early the next morning to give her mother eye drops, only to find the door already open. Philomena was up and walking on her own.
“It’s a miracle. She can see.”
Philomena is now excited to visit her daughters in a nearby village. She’s also planning to return to the small beachfront business she once ran, selling tickets to locals who came to swim.
This surgery didn’t just restore Philomena’s sight. It transformed her life and the life of a family who love her deeply.
Your gift today can help transform lives of others like Philomena and her family.
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