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Joyce Kayaa lives in Tanzania.
She has small farm.
Since about nine months, she has needed help with doing her chores
Joyce suffers from cataracts and is almost blind.
With just a simple operation, costing
about €30, she can be helped.
The day before her operation
she receives visitors from Germany -
former skiing champions Rosi Mittermaier and Christian Neureuther.
They want to be there when Joyce has her operation
because this will be the 10 millionth cataract operation
performed by CBM.
The German ophthalmologist Heiko Philippin will operate.
He is optimistic.
"If it's only a matter of cataracts, the prognosis is very good.
The problem with cataracts, especially if it's as advanced as this,
is that the posterior part of the eye cannot be examined.
There might possibly be a second eye problem lurking.
But since it's not very likely, the prognosis is good."
After a bus ride of several hours
Joyce Kayaa arrives at her destination.
In the eye clinic of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre
- a well established CBM partner since more than four decades -
everything has already been prepared for the operation.
Expertly, Dr Philippin removes the densely clouded lens of the eye
and replaces it with a synthetic one
- a simple but highly effective procedure
with profound consequences for Joyce Kayaa's life.
Already the following day the bandage is removed.
Joyce can see again!
"It was so exciting,
first the bandage, she was very calm
then the tension, can she see any better?
and then she relaxes and suddenly, joy sets in
and you realise, waow, it worked, she can see!
And I think the first three letters of her name are symbolic for this day".
Already the next day
Joyce can go home.
Together with her grandson, she makes a tour around her farm.
Now she doesn't need help any longer,
the operation has changed her life with a lasting effect.
10 million cataract operations!
That's quite an achievement.
It has only been made possible
because of the involvement of CBM
and thanks to the support of its donors.