Do you remember the cupcake girls? These two girls (Smriti Sukhani and Loan Merlin), raise money by baking and selling cupcakes and cookies. All the money they make from their `business` goes straight to charity to help children with vision impairments who need an operation.
When they contacted Eye Care Foundation Vietnam, we just happened to be in Binh Duong province, where we have been implementing our eye care project. During a school eye screening session for children in Binh Duong, we came across two brothers from a poor family who both suffered from congenital ptosis. This means that the opening of their eyes was too small and their eyelids were too big. As a result the muscles in their eyes had weakened over time, limiting their vision.
This hereditary disease causes difficulties in the daily life of these family members. The boys cannot keep up at school and it affects the mother (who has the same condition) at work. This affliction limits the development of the whole family.
With the support of the cupcake girls, we organized a consultation with ophthalmologist dr. Jan Dirk Ferwerda at Cao Thang Eye Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. They generously offered this consultation for free.
Both boys had their eyes measured and received prescription glasses. Dr Ferwerda also arranged a contact with FV Hospital, where the boys were examined by ophthalmologist dr. Vu Anh Le who specializes in eyelids.
The diagnosis was clear. Both boys needed two operations. One to make their eye openings bigger and one to raise the eyelids. Dr. Vu Anh Le decided to perform both procedures in one operation, since the boys live far from HCMC. There was only one problem. The operations were expensive would exceed the budget raised by the cupcake girls. Fortunately, FV Hospital was willing to give a discount on some of the costs.
In addition, the efforts of Ms. My (Public Relations Officer of FV Hospital) made it possible to carry out the operations for both boys. We are truly thankful for all their kindness and generosity.
Their efforts and contributions have made a huge difference in the lives of the two boys in helping them improve their eyesight. We all hope they can look ahead to a brighter future after this operation.
Without the initiative of the cupcake girls, none of this would have happened. We hope they can be a great inspiration to our readers. Sometimes an initiative to raise money can set a whole process in motion and make a life-changing event happen for a whole family.
If you are inspired by this story and are considering contributing in helping people in unfortunate circumstances change their lives for the better, specifically by helping people with improved eyesight, you can contact us via Ms Ngan Tran. Email: ngantran.ecf.vn@gmail.com – Tel: +84 28 3930 7904
Here’s the picture of the Minh and Nam after their successful operation:
