Family Finds Help
The Bangaru family, five children and their parents, lived in a remote village in India, far from medical care. So when all five children were born with cataracts that limited their vision, obtaining medical care was simply not an option. But a concerned man who pulled a rickshaw in their village told the staff at Goutami Eye Institute about the children's' plight.(Goutami Institute is an eye hospital built and operated by the Eye Foundation of America. It is located in Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh.) To read more about the Goutami Institute, see our Projects page or visit the Goutami website.
The Goutami staff transported the children to the Institute where their cataracts were surgically removed. Now that their vision has been restored, all five of the Bangaru children will have the same opportunities as other children.
Patient Pays Back
After receiving a doctoral degree in pharmaceutical studies from Rutgers University, Srinu Maddula landed a good job with a major corporation. The next step? Donating his first paycheck to the Eye Foundation of America.
Maddula's relationship with the Foundation dates back to 1984, when he was two years old--and legally blind. He needed corneal transplants to restore his sight. His family brought him from India to Morgantown, West Virginia, to see ophthalmologist V.K. Raju, MD. Srinu's transplants were free, courtesy of the Foundation, and Raju assumed some related costs with assistance from Monongalia General Hospital.
Maddula never forgot the Eye Foundation of America, or Raju. So when he had the money, it was time for payback. He attended the Foundation's 2008 Fundraiser to let others know how the Foundation had restored his sight and therefore, his life. "If it wasn't for the Foundation," he said, "I would not be here. I would not be talking to you. I would be blind."
