Faisalabad, Sehar's Christmas: blind from birth, she now can see thanks to a chain of solidarity
Faisalabad (AsiaNews) - "For the first time in my life I can really enjoy the Christmas holidays, because I can see the world around me clearly. I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with great happiness." This is what the little Sehar, Sajid Masih's six year old told AsiaNews about the joy she feels in seeing the outside world, after spending the first years of her life "in the dark"; from birth in fact, she suffered from cataracts in both eyes, making her almost blind. However, an operation carried out recently - with the help of some benefactors - has allowed her to partly acquire her sight. And thanks to this operation, in the near future she will also see one of her dreams come true: "Up until now - says the little girl - I could not go to school, but now I will get admission and will be able to learn to read."
Sehar is the youngest of four children of a poor Christian family in Nawabanwala, in the District of Faisalabad. The family has already been sorely marked by tragedies and difficulties; Sajid Masih's father was seriously injured in February 2012 during the course of a dispute near the Grace Ministry Church. He was shot twice in the arm and has since suffered from partial disability; an event that aggravated an already difficult economic situation. The parents have attempted, several times, to have the little girl operated on, but the doctors have always refused as she was too young for surgery. Sehar spent the first years of her life in the dark, without being able to see her parents or her siblings, and without being able to admire the colors and decorations of Christmas.
Last November, a visit to a well-known surgeon, Dr. Mohammad Zahid Siddique, threw further dismay on the little girl and on her parents. According to the doctor, in fact, there was only a month's time to take action, otherwise Sehar would remain blind for the rest of life. However, the operation cost 250 dollars, a huge sum for the destitute family. Hopes faded with every passing day.
The family told its story so AsiaNews, hoping to receive some help and to give real hope to their daughter; thanks to relations and friends they had already managed to raise half the amount needed for the operation, but a"little big hand" was still needed. Our agency therefore launched a chain of solidarity that also involved Nazia Sardar, women's rights activist and leader of Awam (Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation), through whom it was possible to raise the remainder.
In recent days, the little Sehar has been successfully operated on the right eye by Professor Siddique and, soon, will undergo surgery on the left one. Today the little girl can see clearly in one eye thanks to the support of lenses. She is enjoying the colors of flowers and is happy to help her brothers and sisters to decorate the house for Christmas. She joyfully says that "Jesus Christ the Savior has done a great work in her life". Her parents too cannot hold back their happiness and emotion: "We thank God and his beloved son Jesus Christ, who has done all this for us, on the eve of Christmas. It will be a great day for us, because our little girl can see the world with her own eyes". "Finally, we want to thank AsiaNews and Awam, without whom all this would not have been possible."
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