Broome recognised for generosity after donating vital funds to restore vision of two-year-old boy

The Broome community has been recognised by The Fred Hollows Foundation for its generosity, after donating vital funds to help restore the vision of a young boy with a genetic disease. This year, Broome community members donated more than $700 and had 20 residents sign up to become regular supporters of the foundation, which helps people who are vision-impaired in some of the world’s poorest communities. The funds went towards helping two-year-old Tiek from Bokeo province in Laos, who was diagnosed at three months old with congenital cataract, a genetic disease which can cause blindness if left untreated. Tiek required two surgeries, the first to remove the cataract from his eyes, and the second to replace his clouded lenses with intraocular lenses, which took months of planning given his young age. After Tiek’s second birthday, he was able to see clearly for the first time, which was a weight lifted off the shoulders of medical staff and his entire family. Ophthalmologist Dr Sonchai Heuangvilai said Tiek’s family were speechless. “There was a lot of excitement — everything was new to him as he had never seen so clearly before,” he said. The Fred Hollows Foundation’s director Gabi Hollows said the Broome donations had helped transform lives. “Our generous donors are at the heart of the Fred Hollows family, and helping people like Tiek wouldn’t be possible without the support of people from Broome,” she said. “Your donations have helped us transform the lives of those living with avoidable blindness.”