Young woman will "see" again with help of AI smart glasses
Good Morning Angels has helped Philadelphia Mkhondwane from Soweto
reconnect with life by giving her the gift of AI smart glasses.
Philadelphia Mkhondwane, 33, lives with her dad and grandmother in Soweto.
A few years ago, their lives changed dramatically when she sustained a devastating central nervous system tuberculosis (TB) infection.
She was left severely mobility-impaired and blind, rendering her effectively housebound and dependent on others for almost every aspect of daily life.
Mkhondwane is one of the outpatients of Dr Samantha Arnold from Greendale House – previously known as Hospice Wits.
Dr Arnold
and her team provide compassionate medical support, psychosocial care,
and holistic services to help people like Mkhondwane with profound
health challenges live with dignity.
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She says Mkhondwane has become depressed because she feels isolated from the world.
But they've found a piece of technology that could potentially "change the entire course of Philadelphia’s journey – helping her reconnect, rebuild confidence, and reclaim a sense of meaning in her life".
That's why Dr Arnold wrote to Good Morning Angels to ask for help to make this a reality for Mkhondwane.
Watch here:
REQUEST FOR: Philadelphia Mkhondwane
REQUEST FROM: Dr Samantha Arnold
ANGEL: The Good Morning Angels Fund NPC
SPONSORING: The Good Morning Angels Fund will support Mkhondwane in getting the AI smart glasses and help cover some household expenses, easing the burden for her and her family, with a generous donation of R50,000.
ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Dear Good Morning Angels team,
My name is Dr Samantha Arnold, and I'm a doctor working with Greendale House (previously known as Hospice Wits), a non-profit palliative and hospice home-based care organisation serving patients in Johannesburg. We care for individuals facing life-limiting illnesses and severe disability, many of whom are no longer able to access traditional healthcare facilities.
Our team provides compassionate medical support, psychosocial care, and holistic services to help people live with dignity, even in the face of profound health challenges.
Today, I’m writing to ask for your help in supporting one of our patients, a 33-year-old woman, Philadelphia Mkhondwane, who has been left severely mobility-impaired and blind following a devastating central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS TB) infection a few years ago.
Due to her combined sight and mobility impairments, she is effectively housebound and dependent on others for almost every aspect of daily life. This has led to increasing isolation, and she now suffers from significant depression, which has also made managing her physical pain more difficult.
Despite her gentle spirit and resilience, she describes feeling invisible and disconnected from the world – like life is happening around her, but not with her.
READ: Help for young boy who lost arm in crocodile attack
As a team, we recently learned about the Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses, which are transforming the lives of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. These glasses can help users "see" through audio feedback, object recognition, navigation prompts, and even video-assisted support services like Be My Eyes.
For someone like our patient, these glasses could restore a sense of purpose, independence, and engagement with the world.
We are hopeful that with your support, we could gift her this empowering tool. This single act of generosity could change the entire course of her journey – helping her reconnect, rebuild confidence, and reclaim a sense of meaning in her life.
Thank you for everything you do to uplift South Africans with compassion and generosity. We would be deeply grateful if her story could be part of the incredible Good Morning Angels legacy.
Warm regards,
Dr Sam Arnold
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