Help pours in for mom with failing sight

MOTHER of seven Marsha Joseph, 38, broke down in tears yesterday saying her prayers has finally been answered as she now believes that her days of darkness would soon come to end. After Newsday published her story yesterday, help began pouring in for the woman who is on the verge of blindness.

Joseph was contacted yesterday by officials of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) and told she would meet with doctors today at the San Fernando General Hospital for an assessment of her right eye.

Doctors would then determine what the next step is as it relates to doing an operation to remove the cataract from Joseph’s eye. At the age of one, she lost vision in her left eye because of infant congenital cataract, and vision in her right is failing rapidly with only five per cent remaining.

She lives with her husband Devanand Mohammed, 40, and four of their children. Their other three children live elsewhere with relatives. Joseph said with her house not having electricity nor running water, life is extremely hard and making ends meet is a daily struggle.

Last month, after a visit to a private doctor, she was told that the cost to have cataract surgery was $80,000. She said she did not know how to begin to raise the money.

In 2007 she was given a referral letter from the Tabaquite health centre to take to the hospital. “When I went, they told me to return in the next six months. When I returned, I was told that there were over 100 people in front me and I would have to wait two years.” She said at that moment she lost hope.

“I believed that if I had returned after two years they would have told me to wait again. To be honest, I was completely fed-up and frustrated and did not return.”

However, after being contacted yesterday by the hospital officials, Joseph said she now has a measure of hope.

“God is good. I am so happy. When I got that call from the hospital tears came to my eyes. People don’t know how dark my world was becoming and now, to be given some sort of hope that I can see my children again means so much to me.”

The SWRHA, in a release yesterday, said a review of their records showed Joseph had been given two appointments which she did not show up for. The authority also revealed that a cataract initiative had been recently launched to reduce the backlog and, to date, 350 surgeries had been done.

Meanwhile, calls from good Samaritans – some living abroad – flooded Newsday’s south office. Many pledged to donate money, foodstuff and clothing to the family.

“If I put even as little as $100, I know this would go a long way to help this family,” said a caller from the US.

“I really sympathise with this family. It is really a sad situation and I want to tell the mother be strong.”

Mother of four, Marlene Hosein, told Newsday, “My eyes filled with tears reading this story. This woman is really strong. I don’t have much money but I am willing to give her a little bit of what I have, and if everyone put a little they would be able to help.” Hosein said she also plans to visit the family.

One of Joseph’s sons is scheduled to write the Secondary Entrance Assessment exam tomorrow.