A prayer answered

On the wings of a prayer, all the way from Madagascar, came Pastor Noro in the hope of a new life for her 13-year-old son Rabarijaona R Harena. The boy’s father Rakotovao Noro Heritiana is also a pastor. An only child, Harena noticed problems with his vision when he was 10 and had to write an important board exam. He struggled with geometry; his teacher said he couldn’t draw fine lines despite using spectacles.

An ophthalmologist identified his condition as keratoconus and advised a corneal transplant (penetrating keratoplasty) urgently. Since such surgeries are not performed in Madagascar, the family explored the option of France, butfound the costs exorbitant. It was then that Josephine and her father Douglas helped put the pieces into place.

The tale of how Harena came to LVPEI is quite interesting. Pastor Noro’s neighbour in Madagascar, Josephine, asked her father Douglas Soderdahl (a urologist working in Honolulu, Hawaii) for help. Douglas turned to his friend in Kenya for advice; he referred Douglas to Dr David Yorston (UK), who pointed them to LVPEI, India.

After extensive of correspondence between Douglas and LVPEI, everything fell into place. With the help of friends and local associations, the pastor couple raised travel expenses for Harena and his mother. They sought some concessions in the treatment expenses at the hospital — the Chairman of LVPEI responded by waiving all charges and surgical fees!

When Harena was examined at LVPEI his visual acuity was very poor. He could see objects hazily at a distance of 3 meters from the right eye and at only one meter in the left eye, which put him in the category of blindness. He was diagnosed with keratoconus left eye more than the right eye. His vision improved significantly when he was given a gas permeable lens in the right eye. Hence a penetrating keratoplasty was performed on the left eye — Harena’s vision improved noticeably.

Harena and his mother stayed at the Institute for several days till the doctors were satisfied with his operated eye. Just before he returned home, doctors found the visual acuity in his left eye had improved to 20/70 — about 75% of normal vision.

Harena’s story can be summarized with two mails from the many, many written by Douglas:
From despairing mails such us: Honestly, I don't know HOW to commence the process of referral of this unfortunate lad with keratoconus, rapidly deteriorating to blindness, and having been evaluated by the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar, where NO corneal transplants are done.

To ecstatic ones like: God bless you! I think that the prayers of many hundreds if not thousands, have been answered with such wonderful success! … You are involved in such worthy work! I know that you are enjoying MUCH personal satisfaction as you give and give again in this way…. Henceforward, the fame of L V Prasad Eye Institute will be extraordinarily high in all of M!

Harena means ‘richness’, the boy is an avid reader and is delighted with his improved vision. He wants to study well and become a magistrate because, he says, “pastors are poor, but magistrates are rich!” Pastor Noro says it was a “big help” that the Institute waived all charges! The family has a lot of Indian friends back home. She adds that her LVPEI, India, experience has been “Tres bien!”