No other charitable eyecare organisation in Pakistan has managed to transform the lives of such a huge number of patients, and as the UK fundraising arm of LRBT, we feel privileged to be able to contribute towards the amazing work being done to prevent and treat curable blindness in Pakistan.
This milestone could NOT have been achieved without the generous support that you, the donors, continue to provide, so we thank you and hope that you will continue to support the important work being done for the people of Pakistan.
Want to know more about the 50 millionth patient?
28 years old and the only earner in a household of eight, Shabbir Khan is a fruit seller. When he first managed to get his fruit cart, he had high hopes for his future; he was relieved that his father would no longer have the burden of running the household alone.
Shabbir still remembers the day he sold his first batch of fruit; the look of pride from his father and the tears of happiness rolling down his mother’s face. What he didn’t know then was that he would soon become solely responsible for the welfare of his family as a result of his father being diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer.
His father, a strong self-made man, broke down in front of Shabbir upon hearing the news; he refused any treatment and locked himself in his room. Shabbir’s life came to a standstill, his days were consumed by work and looking after his father, and although previously a sociable person, he became a recluse and cut off ties with all of his friends.
He was so involved in caring for his father that he scarcely noticed his own vision deteriorating. After his mother finally convinced him to get it checked out, he visited a local clinic and was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes and told that he would need immediate surgery.
For Shabbir, this felt like the final straw; he did not know how he would get the money for treatment and without surgery he would surely go blind. His family would have no source of income, no roof over their heads and would have the burden of another family member. Thankfully for the family, a friend told Shabbir about LRBT Korangi Hospital and its free eye care services for the poor.
Shabbir had a successful surgery and is now back at work, feeling like he has truly been given a second shot at life. “My father has also decided to opt for treatment and finally my family sees a ray of hope after seeing me overcome my ordeal. I do not have words to describe how LRBT not only gave me my sight back but something much more valuable….hope for the future.”