Shri Mani: A story of success after sight is restored
The Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation shares a story of a patient in Nepal that was cured of needless cataract blindness in 2021.
Shri Mani Rai lives in the remote area of the Himalayan outback and suffered with cataract-induced blindness for many years without any medical treatment. With access to the area restricted due to a lack of roads and tracks, the chance of travelling for a healthcare appointment is next to nothing.
The closest eye hospital is a 15 hour journey from her remote village, Solukhumbu, and she had little financial means to make the trip. Possibilities for her seemed to have run out and she spent years living in total darkness and uncertainty, not knowing what could be in store for her the next day.
Her family took it upon themselves to take care of her when they could, with her daughter and granddaughter taking it in turns to bring her food, wash her, and tidy the space she lived in to avoid possible incidents and further problems. At night however Shri Mani would be alone, with the darkness around sadly indistinguishable from the darkness of her days.
In March 2021, a team from the Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation had a trip planned to Shri Mani’s district. They intend look to stumble across a character as with as much personality as her but when they found her, they knew that restoring her sight would breathe even more life and joy back into a worried elderly woman.
In April, the Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation microsurgical team invited Shri Mani to an outreach camp they set up in the district, but it was a long hour drive from her village. The team offered to collect Shri Mani and her daughter to ensure they travelled the treacherous tracks safely for the six hour journey.
The operation was a success and the next morning Shri Mani was itching to have her bandages removed so she could marvel at her surroundings.
One year later, Shri Mani is growing vegetables on the plot of land she and her family owns and spends her days enjoying a restored perspective of the outside world thanks to the assistance of the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation. With her vision restored, her daily life has become far more enjoyable and her family are also able to go out and earn a more substantial income. With both her and her family now economically active, their lives have changed for the better.
Shri Mani Rai’s story is like many others in Nepal. The poverty and remote locations of many of the population results in thousands of people suffering from needless cataract induced blindness. The Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation has made it its mission to cure people live Shri Mani who live a life of needless blindness. Focussing on the rural populations in developing nations, such as Nepal, and aiding in improving eye health, the foundation is making steps towards meeting the UN’s First Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty.
The Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation is a restricted fund operating under the auspices of Prism The Gift Fund, registered UK charity number 1099682.