Regaining her vision: Bahati’s Story

Bahati came into our lives back in April when her father brought her to the Center asking for help. She was a sweet 5-year-old with a severe eye problem. I could tell right away something was wrong by the way her eyes “floated” in different directions. She was unable to focus on anything and wouldn’t be able to attend school if I didn’t help. Special schools for the blind do exist here but are few and far between. Even though space was limited, I agreed to make room at the Center to see what we could do about regaining her vision.

On our first visit to the “local” eye doctor, an hour away in Longido, Bahati was so nervous. She was shaking like a leaf. The doctor could tell right away that she had undergone cataract surgery which we weren’t told about. He suspected that, based on the poorly administered post-op care, the optic nerve never properly connected with the brain. Standard eyeglasses wouldn’t help in this situation, he recommended we see a specialist.

I took her to the KCMC hospital in Moshi, an 8-hour round trip drive from Longido. They told us there was no guarantee her vision would ever improve but gave us some things to try. On a hope and a prayer, we followed the doctor’s protocol and it’s WORKING! Today, Bahati wears an eye patch that we rotate from eye to eye every day and special custom glasses. Every month we make the 8-hour trip to the doctor for checkups and Bahati is no longer nervous during these doctor visits. She actually looks forward to them, probably because we always stop for pizza and a soda afterwards. We both enjoy this special time together.

Thanks to all the people who have sent us their prayers during this journey. They are being answered! Bahati’s eyesight has been improving but she still has a long way to go. She is attending school now, has many friends at MGRC, and is diligent about wearing her eyepatch. We are uncertain how much more her eyes will improve but we’re not giving up. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Comments(2)

Rick Morro says
September 16, 2020 at 10:50 am

UPENDO NDIPAPA
Upendo was brought to us by her grandmother in 2019. Similar story to most. Her parents left Upendo with her aging grandmother. She is a little different though, she has scoliosis of the spine. A significant curvature. I took her to the hospital and to Plaster House. There is nothing that can be done to correct her condition. Upendo was also severely malnourished. The Plaster House doctor cried when I told her MGRC would take her. The doctor knew we were out of room but we could not say no. Every week, MGRC takes her to get her medicine in Longido Dispensary. Longido Hospital also says she has TB and MGRC gives here medicine for that every day.

MARIA LENDANIN MOLLEL
Maria was brought to MGRC by the her grandmother. She has a skin condition (psoriasis) which went untreated. Her family thought she was possessed by evil or some other curse. She was not allowed to attend school and was shunned by family and neighbors. Since coming to MGRC Maria has been attending school, has received medical treatment for her skin condition.

SINYATI LENGAY LANGOI
Sinyati came to us with an eye problem. She had Tacoma which if left untreated results in total blindness. She has undergone successful surgery and we are looking forward to her full recovery.

BAHATI PARKA
Bahati had surgery on her eyes when she was younger but did not receive proper post surgery medical care. She now has severe vision problems. We take her monthly to KCMC in Moshi for therapy and follow up check ups

UPENDO JEREMIAH MOLLEL
Upendo is albino, which is considered a curse in her culture. She grew up Kilimanjaro region, but was ostracized and heard of albinos being killed. Even the other girls in her village wouldn’t play with her. Upendo has severe eye problems due to her albino condition. We took her to the eye specialists in Moshi KCMC and her vision will not really improve but they gave us special glasses and tools to help her see. We are teaching her brail because her eye condition only allows her to see one letter at a time.
Nancy McLees says
September 14, 2020 at 10:53 pm

Hi Rick,
A prayer list for all of us would be wonderful! There has to be so many things you have need of including health issues! We could print and have it on our desks/refrigerators for daily reminders! Your prayer warriors can be on this!
Love to all! Nancy

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