“My son can now see clearly!”

Three-year-old, John Mark, was born with juvenile cataracts. Just recently though, his mom, who is a single parent, noticed how much he was squinting. “He often looks like he’s mad,” explained Mylene. “He can barely open his eyes when he squints like that."

Mylene travels to work in another city where they live in the Philippines. Her mom cares for the boy when she’s away.

“It hurts that I can’t always be beside him, hug him, and comfort him. It’s difficult to be a single parent,” said Mylene.

Then Mylene’s mom noticed that John’s pupils were getting cloudy.

“I remember I was at work and Mom called and said she saw something white growing in the pupils of his eyes,” explained Mylene.

John Mark was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. The doctor said that only surgery could fix them and that would cost $3,000. Mylene earns about three dollars a day.

“They said that if my son didn’t have surgery, he would go blind,” said Mylene. “When I heard that, I felt like falling on the floor. I felt so hopeless.”

Then the boy’s ophthalmologist reached out to Operation Blessing and asked for help. The organization met with the family and paid for John Mark to receive free surgery in both eyes. After the operation, John Mark was all smiles and seeing clearly for the first in his young life.

“He can now see clearly!” shared a beaming Mylene. “He can recognize people easily. He runs around and doesn’t fall or bump into anything. I am so happy. I am so grateful to God for the doctors and for Operation Blessing.”