May 2021, Allen Borton, 12, started having blurry vision and told his parents about it. Unknown to his parents, his right eye was hit by a branch of a tree while helping his parents clean their neighbor’s backyard. At first, he did not tell his parents because he was afraid they would scold him.
Upon consultation, Allen was diagnosed of traumatic cataract. The hospital asked his family to prepare around ₱30,000 ($580) for his eye surgery alone. Financially challenged, Allen’s family was incapable of helping him get his treatment.
Allen’s father works in a grocery store as a merchandiser, earning ₱4,700 ($90) a month, while Susana, Allen’s mother, weaves and sells doormats.
The family prayed hardly, asking God to provide a way to restore Allen’s vision.
“I prayed, Lord, please lead us to people who could help restore Allen’s sight,” says Susana.
During a relief distribution in their community, Allen’s parents got a glimpse of hope when they learned about Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing Surgery (LCS) project, which helps poor patients in need of surgeries.
Believing that God’s hands are upon them, they approached and coordinated with their pastor for help until their request reached the attention of Operation Blessing.
In time of Allen’s birthday, his cataract surgery was finally scheduled!
On his birthday, Allen wished to regain his clear vision. So even without a big celebration, “he was very happy for the priceless gift he received from God through Operation Blessing,” Susana said.
As a mother, Susana shared that her heart bleeds when she sees her son having difficulty in doing his modules because of his eye, and when other children in their community bully him. But Susana could not do anything but pray more.
Few days after his birthday, Allen indeed woke up in his hospital bed from an hour-long eye operation with his granted birthday wish.
“I can see you clearly now, Mama!” Allen happily exclaimed.
Allen’s vision has been restored, and he is now on his road to full recovery.
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Help more people like Allen gain restored visions through our Life-Changing Surgery project. Partner with us through www.operationblessing.ph. For inquiries, contact 09399215543 or 09189067753.
DSWD-SB-SP-000061-2021-Nationwide. Valid until Nov 23, 2022