Life-altering accidents don’t come with a warning sign. When they happen, we can only mend our damages and carry on. Of course it helps to have a support system, as well as access to good medical attention. But for many in the developing world, this is a luxury.
It was past 9 pm on the night of ‘Shab e-Barat’ when Abu Talib and his friends met up to participate in the fireworks for the festival. Abu Talib’s father was on duty at the factory where he worked. His mother and sister were at home. “I was very excited,” recalls Abu Talib. “We had bought different types of fireworks like, fire crackers, fire fountain, fire missiles, and even double ball breakers.” When a spark went off into Abu Talib’s eye, he was rushed to a local hospital, where they provided emergency treatment. But the damage could not be remedied.
“Days passed by,” Abu Talib says. “I couldn’t see properly that affected my studies. My family were extremely upset.” Abu Talib’s father couldn’t afford to take his son to the big city, to consult an expert ophthalmologist. It was a blessing then when Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust (AMWT) organised free eye-care and eye operations at camp in their town. “The very next day my parents took me there,” recalls Abu Talib. “Luckily, they admitted me. The doctor checked my eye, which was injured and partly damaged. However, they operated and treated it properly.”
Following his surgery Abu Talib stayed Abu Talib stayed at the camp to recuperate. After a week the pain was gone completely, and his blurry vision was gone. Abu Talib and his parents can’t be more grateful. “Alhamdulillah,” says his mother. “For this charity organisation that saved my son’s future!”
A mere £35 can give one child like Abu Talib the treatment he/she needs to regain the ability to see. It can save a person from a bleak future of suffering silently with blindness that could easily have been prevented.
