Good Morning Angels: Renewed eyesight for farmworker

BACKGROUND: Kapok Mofokeng, 36, from Villiers in the Free State has lived and worked on a farm his entire life. He is a cattle herder, who dedicates his life to looking after and caring for the cattle in his care. He loves his life on the farm, that he shares with his wife and two young children. Over the past few years, he has grown very worried and frustrated, as his eye-sight has been deteriorating drastically. Kapok believes that the spraying of chemicals used to dip the cattle have over the years affected his eyes. He went for a diagnosis and it was confirmed that cataracts had formed on both of his eyes. 

The cost of a cataract operation is on average R25,000 to R30,000 - depending on the lens replacement. Waiting for an operation in a state facility meant that he could not do the job he loved so much: in fact, the loss of his eyesight had affected his overall quality of life. His employer heard of the Operation Healing Hands Eye Week at the Intercare Day Hospital in Hazeldean, Pretoria. She sent in an application and Kapok was one of 45 people who got a cataract removal operation free of charge. Thanks to all the Operation Healing Hands sponsors and Dr Marcel Niemandt. Kapok was over-joyed when the eye patch was removed from his operated eye, but he still has one more “blind” eye. 

REQUEST FOR: Kapok Mofokeng from Villiers

REQUEST FROM: Madelein Kleinhans

ANGEL 1: Dr Marcel Niemandt on behalf of Operation Healing Hands

SPONSORING: Dr Marcel will remove Kapok’s cataract on his second eye free of charge. In response to the success of the Intercare Hazeldean Eye Week. Funds are still needed for other consumables, a lens, and the medication needed to make Kapok’s life-changing operation a reality.

ANGEL 2: The Good Morning Angels Fund NPC

SPONSORING: The GMA Fund will donate the R30,000 needed for Kapok’s second cataract removal operation. However, Dr Marcel’s offer to do the operation free of charge means that Kapok and another five patients can be assisted with cataract operations.

MORE ABOUT OPERATION HEALING HANDS EYE WEEK:

At least 80% of all blindness is preventable and one of the most common causes of treatable blindness or impaired vision is cataracts - a cloudy layer that forms on the eye lens.

Because cataracts form over time, it is usually associated with old age. In reality, cataracts are the leading cause of avoidable blindness in children too.

Cataract surgery is quick and mostly successful, but costly - between R25,000 and R30,000 per eye in private facilities, while lists in state hospitals are up to three years long.  

To mark to Eye Care Awareness Month in South Africa, Operation Healing Hands and its sponsors again got together to fund and perform 45 cataract removal surgeries in two days at the Intercare Hazeldean Day Hospital.  

ORIGINAL REQUEST: Een van ons werkers by HJD Boerdery, Kapok Mofokeng, is maar 36 jaar oud en het geen sig meer in albei sy oë nie, as gevolg van katterakke wat gevorm het. Hy was Vrydag 10 Mei 2019 by 'n oogarts wat die diagnose gemaak het. Ek het sommer Kapok se Id asook die verslag wat ons van die oogarts gekry het, vir jou aangeheg. Kapok is een van ons Beeswagters wat so getrou is aan sy werk.. Altyd bereid om die ekstra myl te loop, in winter sowel as somer. Jy kan nou net dink hoe dit vir die arme man is om nie elke dag in die natuur te kan wees nie soos wat hy gewoond is sy lewe lank. Nou die dag was sy woorde aan my…"Aai Me, en ek laaik die werk so baie”. My hart wou sommer breek. Dit is nie elke man wat sê werk is vir hom lekker nie!! So.. jy kan nou maar vir jouself dink wat se tipe mens Kapoki is.