Fadi Anwar, Gaza, September 2010

Fadi Anwar is a ten year old boy from Gaza who lives in a humble house with his parents and three siblings.  Unfortunately, Fadi suffers from congenital disease in both eyes.  His is a very serious and complicated condition that could cause blindness if not treated.

When he was four years old, Fadi’s parents noticed that there was something wrong with his eyes, so they took him to a doctor in Gaza who diagnosed him with Corneal Dystrophy.  Fadi was given glasses, but at his age, it was too risky for him to undergo surgery.

Six years later, his parents brought him to the St. John Eye Clinic in Gaza in order to reconsider surgery, but there discovered that he also suffers from amblyopia, or “lazy eye”. 

Fadi was then successfully referred to our main Hospital in Jerusalem to undergo surgery in his right eye.in order to correct the amblyopia. 

On the 7July this year, Fadi underwent his first sight-saving corneal transplant, the outcome of which was a favourable one. 

*Fadi Anwar

Fadi will need further follow-up examinations and treatments and we are hopeful that his condition will be completely cured very soon. 

Fadi’s father is a Gazan policeman and his mother doesn’t work.  His family would not have been able to pay for Fadi’s treatment if they had had to rely on private care.  Nor would they have been guaranteed transit to Jerusalem from Gaza, which remains under blockade. 

“I’m glad that my son received his treatment at St. John Eye Hospital where they offered us great service and care”, says Fadi’s father. 

Fadi is one of many hundreds of children who suffer from corneal diseases and cannot afford to pay for their treatment.  Indeed, he is not unusual at all.  The blockade of Gaza continues to prevent ordinary Gazan residents from meeting those from outside the Strip.  The rate of consanguineous, or intrafamilial, marriages is rising and more children are being born with congenital diseases, including ordinarily very rare, severe childhood cataracts. 

If these conditions are not treated, they WILL cause irreversible damage to the eyesight, including blindness and, in around two-thirds of cases, both eyes are affected.

Your support has helped save the gift of sight of many children just like Fadi.