Salid’s story

DON’T LET PEOPLE LIKE SALID GO BLIND 

Pheang was searching for a cure for her three-year-old son Salid, whose eyes had mysteriously turned milky white.   

Salid was born a healthy baby, but when he was growing up, Pheang noticed something odd with his vision.  When Salid walked around, he would reach out his hands to navigate. He would use his sense of smell to identify people, including his mother.  

In many remote villages in Lao PDR, people believe that spirits cause diseases when they are upset. Pheang was so desperate to find a cure that she offered sacrifices in the hopes it would appease the spirits.    

As a farmer, Pheang could not afford to visit a doctor and purchase medicine. It broke her heart, knowing she couldn’t afford to help her son.  

Then a Community Health Worker came to Pheang’s village to deliver Covid vaccines. They referred Salid to the eye doctors at Oudomxay Eye Hospital, a long-time partner of The Fred Hollows Foundation.   

Salid was able to get the care he so urgently needed before it was too late. 

Please donate today to give people like Salid a brighter future.

PHEANG WAS DISTRESSED FOR HER SON

As a farmer, Pheang did not even have 500 kip (around five Australian cents) to afford medical treatment for her son.

Her dream is for her child to have a bright future. She longs for Salid to have good sight and a good education. 

“I will be less worried when I go to the farm now that he can see. I will take good care of him,” she said.

THE PEOPLE OF LAO PDR NEED YOUR SUPPORT

The people of Lao PDR face many barriers that prevent them from accessing eye care. Those living in remote districts, women, and ethnic minority groups are especially disadvantaged, and they need your kindness and compassion.

	16,190 PEOPLE NEED URGENT CATARACT SURGERY There’s a significant backlog of people facing long delays who need cataract surgery as soon as possible, and the ongoing pandemic is making matters worse. More than 6,000 people in Laos are diagnosed with cataract each year, but you can help.
	THERE ARE ONLY 4 OPHTHALMOLOGISTS PER MILLION PEOPLE There are seven million people in Lao PDR and 93.4% of the blindness in people aged over 50 there is preventable. With your help, The Foundation can continue to build the local eye health care workforce by training more ophthalmologists, nurses and community health workers to give more people access to eye health services.
	WE OPERATE IN 11 PROVINCES ACROSS LAO PDR With your support we can reach the most marginalised people living in remote parts of the country and give them the opportunity to get their eyes screened, receive sight-restoring surgery, and access ongoing treatment and care.

YOU CAN LIFT SOMEONE OUT OF A LIFETIME OF BLINDNESS

Pheang was overjoyed when her son’s patches were taken off. By the afternoon, Salid was already jumping and playing.  

It was an outcome that would not have been possible until health workers came to their area and told Pheang that Salid needed medical treatment - otherwise, he could be blind for life.  

Salid’s case was handled by Dr Senglar Laosern and Dr Pathoumphone Ketdomly – both trained by The Foundation thanks to our generous supporters. 

Pheang had given up hope that Salid would ever be cured. But Dr Senglar gave her the hope and assurance that Salid could see again with the help of cataract surgery.  

Showing photos and videos from her phone, she patiently explained the procedure to Pheang, who thought that surgery meant that her son’s eyeballs would be removed.    

Pheang was scared as Salid underwent the procedure. But her fear lifted when Salid’s patches were lifted off. 

“I am glad that I helped performed the surgery for Salid because once he can see again, some of his mother’s burdens will be lifted. Salid will be able to lead his own life without depending on others,” Dr Senglar said. 

LET’S DO AS FRED DID AND CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER 

Fred was able to start The Fred Hollows Foundation because people like you believed in his vision of a world where no one is needlessly blind. That was more than 30 years ago, and since then people like you have helped us restore sight to more than 3 million people in over 25 countries.

Fred would be so proud of everything you have helped us achieve – from making low-cost intraocular lenses available in under-resourced countries to helping us train local eye health workers as well as build and equip eye health facilities around the world.

We are thankful for everything that you do, and we count on your support, because there is still a lot of work to be done in countries like Lao PDR. And together, we can continue Fred’s good work and make his vision a reality.

“The essence of the human being is our capacity to help others.”
- Fred Hollows

With your support, in Laos, last year The Fred Hollows Foundation was able to:  

• Train 33 people, including 2 eye surgeons, 10 clinical support staff and 21 educators
• Screen 23,707 people
• Support 22,817 eye operations and treatments
• Distribute 392 pairs of glasses
• Provide $131,827 for the Covid response

Your support for these actions can improve the lives and future opportunities of thousands of people in Laos.

Thanks to you, we can still carry on Fred’s vision and end avoidable blindness.