TOAMASINA, Madagascar – This World Sight Day, the world unites around the theme ‘People at the heart of eye health’. For Marie Jeanne and her daughter Germaine, this message could not be better represented. After years of blindness due to cataracts, this mother and daughter from a remote Malagasy village had both vision and lives restored thanks to a 15-minute cataract surgery aboard the Africa Mercy, the hospital ship operated by international charity Mercy Ships.
At 80 years old, Marie Jeanne had already suffered tremendous loss, including seven of her eight children had passed away. Her last comfort came from weaving raffia mats and hats, until even that joy was stolen three years ago. A year later, her daughter Germaine also began losing her vision, leaving her unable to farm or care for her children. “If I had a weak faith, I might have given up,” Germaine shared.
Their journey to healing began when a family member heard about Mercy Ships on the radio. Encouraged by hope, they traveled to Toamasina, where the Africa Mercy was offering free cataract surgeries to those in need. On the same day, both mother and daughter underwent the quick, restorative procedure.
Their surgeon, Dr. Guy Chevalley, explained, “Their cataracts were so advanced that their pupils were no longer black, but completely white.” Ophthalmic Program Manager Ella Hawthorne added, “They could only see movement, just a hand waving in front of them. That was it.”
The following morning, with eye patches as they sat side-by-side, they looked at each other clearly for the first time in years. What followed were uncontainable tears of joy.
“We no longer live in darkness,” Marie Jeanne said. “Our eyes can see, and our hearts are full of happiness!”
Globally, an estimated 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment or blindness, with at least 1 billion cases preventable or yet to be addressed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to timely eye care remains limited. The lack of affordable services and trained specialists often means that treatable conditions, like those faced by Marie Jeanne and Germaine, lead to needless suffering and lost potential.
Ella Hawthorne reflected on the moment: “It was very emotional to see their happiness when the patches came off at the same time. What a blessing it is to help this family. To see someone truly, to spend time with them and having that taken away and then restored is incredibly special.”
Marie Jeanne has since returned to her craft, weaving raffia into mats and hats with the skill she had longed to use again. And Germaine is back to farming, participating actively in her church and caring for her precious children
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