New Delhi, Sep 9 (Inditop.com) Sixty-four-year old Sudha Jain looked into the eyes of Rajendra Kumar, a stranger, and couldn’t stop herself from crying. Kumar was the recipient of her dead husband’s eye.
“I feel like he is still alive and seeing this world through someone else,” said Jain, who broke down as she narrated how her husband died years ago and how his eyes were then donated.
A resident of Rohini in west Delhi, Jain’s husband died of a massive heart attack at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). But much before his death, he had decided to donate his eyes.
Today, his decision to donate his eyes came has proved a blessing for 18-year-old Kumar, who lives in a village in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Doctors at the Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre in south Delhi operated on him and he regained his eyesight through a corneal transplant.
Kumar was working in his farmland five years ago when a bull hit him, damaging his left eye. It was just by chance that he came to know that the Venu Eye Institute would be able to fulfil his dream of getting his sight back.
“My family was a great support system. They encouraged me not to lose heart and they stood by me when I needed them the most,” an emotional Kumar told Inditop.
“I can’t thank them enough for giving me eyesight. After years of darkness, I can’t believe I can see. I get so emotional,” he said.
For Sudha Jain, it is a moment to cherish. “I am very happy that he (her husband) is still alive. I saw him again through his eyes,” said Jain, breaking into tears.
On Tuesday, the two met for the first time at a function organised by the hospital on the occasion of National Eye Donation Day.
It was just not a celebration of life for Kumar and Jain, but for dozens of donors and recipients who gathered at the hospital.
One of them was 22-year old Hasnain from Sonipat.
When he was 20, he met with an accident and lost his eyesight.
“Life after the accident was not less than a challenge. I died every day, but I was helpless and could not do anything but surrender to my fate,” said Hasnain.
For him, it was a miracle when he came to know that doctors have answers to his prayers.
“I can see now. I can enjoy the colours of life. I thank the doctors at the hospital for this. Life now has a meaning,” he added.
Many openly cried when they met and talked to those who have benefited from their generosity. Many also shared how difficult it was for them to come to a decision on donating the eyes of their loved ones. But now they are proud of their decision.
“A few of my family members protested against my decision of donating my mother’s eyes. I managed to convince them that if those eyes can be of help to anybody, then why waste them,” said Rishi Dev Goel, a resident of Rohini.
Said S.C. Gupta, director of the Venu Eye Institute: “In India, there are about 10 million people who suffer from corneal blindness and with only 243 eye banks in the country eye donation meets only five percent of the demand.”
“India needs to generate two million donors every year to address this backlog,” he added.
According to a report of the World Health Organisation, India accounts for 25 percent of the global burden of blindness in the world and states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir have an even higher rate of blindness.
