Youngster’s sight is failing again

The parents of Faisal Hansh, 12, from Sudan, need your help to pay for a second operation to prevent their son from losing his eyesight. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Each week we report on the work of the Dar Al Ber Society in trying to help those in great need. Today, we revisit a ­12-year-old bravely facing a degenerative eye condition.

ABU DHABI // Faisal Hansh’s eyesight was saved in 2015 by the generosity of readers who donated the Dh26,000 needed for a cornea operation. Now, two years later, the 12-year-old again needs your help.

The schoolboy faces a race against time to save his vision after doctors detected new problems. If he does not undergo surgery within two weeks, Faisal will go blind.

When his eyesight first started to fail him, he kept it to himself rather than trouble his family.

“I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to burden anyone,” the youngster said.

“My father works so hard and comes back very tired at the end of the day. I didn’t want them to worry.”

His condition revealed itself when his father Hussain saw his eldest son holding his schoolbooks as close to his face as he could to be able to read the text.

“I rushed him to the hospital and that is where I was told that he needed a cornea transplant as soon as possible,” said Mr Hansh, who brought his family from Sudan in 2010.

The cornea in Faisal’s left eye was damaged and he could barely see out of the other. The surgery he needed cost Dh26,000, which his father could not afford. Without the operation, the youngster would have gone blind.

The family appealed to Dar Al Ber, who asked The National to report Faisal's case and appeal for donations.

“On the same day, we got dozens of calls from people who wanted to pay the cost of Faisal’s operation,” said Hisham Al Zahrani, manager of Zakat and Social Services at Dar Al Ber Society.

“We had never received such a response. It was overwhelming and astonishing the number of people who all wanted to help this young boy.”

In less than a day, the entire amount for Faisal’s operation was raised.

“We never imagined that we would have the money to do the operation,” Mr Hansh said.

"We asked that our story be published in The National as a last resort, but we never really expected that anything would happen.

“Me and my wife are so grateful to everyone who came forward to help my son.”

But no sooner was Faisal on the road to recovery than he ­developed more problems with his vision.

Doctors have detected fluid behind the implanted cornea and his left eye has weakened. The fluid must be removed and the cornea replaced. His left eye also needs a lens transplant.

This surgery will cost another Dh26,000, which the family still cannot afford and are again appealing to readers to help save their son’s eyesight. “I earn about Dh5,000 a month and every hospital visit costs Dh600,” Mr Hansh said. “I take my son to the hospital every week.”

Faisal cannot go back to school because of his eyesight.

“Exams are coming up in a week and Faisal has always been top of his class,” his father said. “It’s hard on us to imagine our son will go blind. We had so much hope after the first surgery.

“Now we are going through the same thing but this time it is much harder on Faisal.

“He was so happy to have regained his eyesight briefly but now it could be taken away from him again.”

Mr Al Zahrani said: “The family still needs your help to save their son from going blind. We hope they receive the same support as last time.”