Nelly

Help light up their lives!

Please give the Miracle of Sight to people, like Nelly, in the world’s poorest places.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”  – Isaiah 60:1

Nelly felt the light going out of her life twenty years ago. Everything she cherished depended on her eyesight – housework, cooking, and running her market stall. All gone, because of cataracts.

Now 70, Nelly lives in Kwekwe, in Zimbabwe’s Midlands, where people live with the fear that illness or disability could rob them of their ability to work and support their families. Among these fears, losing one’s eyesight is the most devastating.

For Nelly, cataracts have been a 20-year heartbreak.

But for just $35, you can help transform lives like Nelly’s. A simple 12-minute cataract surgery can restore sight and bring back hope – truly a Miracle of Sight.

Please will you prayerfully consider giving a gift today so more people with avoidable blindness can receive the cataract surgery they urgently need. In just 12 minutes, cataract surgery can light up someone’s life, thanks to generous people like you.  

Twenty years ago Nelly began experiencing itchy eyes and cloudy vision. Everyday life grew increasingly difficult, and it broke her heart to rely on others for simple tasks, like threading a needle for mending.

Nearly ten years later, she lost vision completely in one eye. Her daughter examined her and confirmed, “You have a cataract.”

This cataract has stolen two decades of productivity and independence from Nelly and her family. Despite her expertise in herbal medicine, which can sometimes provide remarkable benefits, herbal remedies could not cure her cataract.

“I tried all the herbal medicines I use to help others,” Nelly explained, “but they didn’t work for me.”

As you know, cataracts require surgery to restore vision. Sadly, Nelly could never afford the advanced hospital treatment needed.

That’s why your support is so vital. For people like Nelly, who have no hope of overcoming cataract-related blindness on their own, you bring hope and the promise of new light in their lives.

Your gift will help give the Miracle of Sight through cataract surgery.

“I lost the ability to do my chores at home,” Nelly shared with deep emotion. “I had to sweep the house while sitting down.”

Her granddaughter, Marvellous, vividly remembers the day her grandmother lost her sight.

“She once had eyesight,” Marvellous said. “And then, just like that, she couldn’t see. It was heartbreaking. She was a businesswoman, but because she lost her eyesight she couldn’t trade, fetch water, or look for firewood. As her granddaughter, all I wanted was to help her.”

Nelly’s world grew smaller and smaller. Her husband refused to give up.

Desperate for a solution, he searched far and wide. But it was through talking to his nephew that he thankfully heard about an eye clinic funded through kind and caring people like you.

With hope rekindled, he asked Marvellous to accompany Nelly to a hospital in town to learn more.

“We first went to one hospital,” Marvellous explained, “but they told us to try another one. So, we went there…”

That’s where everything changed. The hospital was hosting an Eye Camp – a mobile outreach programme funded by cbm supporters. For the first time in years, Nelly felt hope returning.

“On the first day, they examined her.” Marvellous recalled. “Then they told us to come back the next day. She was given an appointment for surgery. She was so happy!”

The Eye Camp was part of the Improving Vision for Communities programme, a partnership between cbm and HelpAge Zimbabwe.

On the day of her surgery, Nelly was one of many people who received the Miracle of Sight.

“We were treated with so much respect and dignity,” Nelly shared. In just 12 life-changing minutes, two decades of cataract blindness were swept away. Her surgeon skillfully removed the clouded lens from her eye and replaced it with a clear new one, allowing so much new light into Nelly’s life.

After the procedure, a padded patch was placed over Nelly’s eye to protect it while it healed. Marvellous took her home, filled with anticipation for what the morning would bring.

The next day was unforgettable.

“Halala!” Nelly shouted, a jubilant African cry of joy. “I can see again! I can’t believe it – I can see!”

She vividly described her amazement. “I saw the doctor who operated on me – he was wearing a checkered shirt! I could even read the letters on the chart!”

For Marvellous, the moment was nothing short of a miracle. “Grandma was like, ‘Woah! I’m seeing! This is the doctor who operated on me!’”

Now fully recovered, Nelly’s life is transformed. “I’m so grateful,” she said with a smile. “I can do all my chores again – even thread a needle!”

Her granddaughter couldn’t be happier. “Now she can do anything. She’s unstoppable! She even runs her own tuck shop!”

From her small shop, Nelly shares her story with everyone, encouraging others with cataracts to seek medical help. “I tell people not to rely on traditional medicine for eye conditions – I tried it and it didn’t work. I now refer everyone to cbm’s health workers for surgery. I will keep spreading the word in my community!”

Thanks to cbm supporters like you, Nelly is a light of hope in her village.

“I am so grateful to cbm for making this possible,” Nelly said. “Please keep expanding this project so no one is left behind. Thank you.”

Her story is a powerful reminder of how much your kindness can achieve. There are still many people like Nelly waiting to arise and shine. Please help set them free from cataract blindness by giving your gift today. Together, we can bring light and hope to their lives.

Your gift will help fund the cost of cataract surgery for adults, like Nelly, so they can return to productive lives. It will also help fund the extra costs of cataract surgery for children, including general anaesthetic, so they can hope for a better future. Your gift will also help fund other essential eye health services, including glasses for people whose sight has been damaged by years of cataracts.

Twenty years of living with cataract blindness – transformed in just 12 minutes of surgery!

What an incredible ministry you are supporting, bringing hope and vision to adults and children in the world’s poorest places.

When you give your gift today, you’ll help bring joyful cries of Halala! to life in eye clinics like Nelly’s. Your generosity can light up lives and restore eyesight through the Miracle of Sight, all to the glory of God.

Thank you for making a difference!

Cataracts plunged Nelly’s world into darkness, stealing her independence and livelihood. But people like you have helped light up her life – in just 12 minutes! That is the Miracle of Sight. Please share this blessing today to help more people like Nelly, by giving your generous gift for cataract surgery in the world’s poorest places. Thank you!