A promising young film student will be able to have two operations to save his eyesight, thanks to the hard work of his mother and generous support of the False Bay community.
In June this year, 20-year-old Pedro Yon started experiencing pain in this right eye, which was diagnosed as being due to intra-ocular pressure.
When he was just six months old, Pedro was diagnosed with X-linked retinoschisis, so the pressure was no ordinary situation.
His parents took him to the same ophthalmic surgeon he had seen as a baby, and Pedro was told that the medication for this pressure causes extreme tiredness, and is only a short-term solution.
The condition worsened with infection, also affecting the eye, and Pedro then learned that he needed to have his eye removed – urgently – as the inter-ocular pressure put him at an extremely high risk for having a stroke.
He was also going blind in the eye he has limited vision in.
Groote Schuur Hospital could only accommodate Pedro for an appointment in March next year. “This was only for an appointment – not for the operation. And due to the urgency of his diagnosis, it was advised that the surgeries be done privately,” said his mom Kim Yon.
Despite numerous surgeries as a baby, Pedro was left completely blind in his right eye and has extremely limited vision in his left eye.
“However, he has managed to live a normal life and completed his schooling through a mainstream school despite his limited vision,” said Ms Yon.
Ms Yon is a well known paramedic for CMR Response Team in the valley. She started what seemed a mammoth task – fundraising
R45 000 for the operation and prosthetic eye – to ensure her son’s sight could be saved.
“Through the help of family, friends, work colleagues, acquaintances and absolute strangers who have pulled together in the common cause to save Pedro’s sight, the goal has been reached,” she said.
“A simple thank you will never express how I am feeling, my
faith in humanity has been re-
stored and this really makes
me realise that there are still some wonderful human beings in
this world,” said Ms Yon, overwhelmed by the support
Pedro and the family have re-
ceived.
