 Star actress Yvonne Nelson is on a rescue mission to restore the ailing eye of 22-year-old Richard Amoako, who is gradually losing his sight to Glaucoma.
Richard, a former student of NIIT and Akosombo Senior High School, has been living with Glaucoma for over eight years and is almost losing his sight. Doctors say unless he is operated on, he may lose his sight.
“I feel bad. I wish to be in good condition but we still trying our best to get my sight back. I do hope and believe in God that things will be well. I can’t see clearly. It’s always blur. When someone is coming it is hard to identify who the person is. I hardly read too,” Richard told NEWS-ONE. “I was young when it started but it wasn’t like how it is now. At times my eye becomes red and it itches me. I have been using drops but later, somewhere 2008, it started getting serious,” he added.
The leggy actress and her Glaucoma Foundation management team last week met with the boy and his family to discuss how to support Richard. The actress has been supporting Richard in getting drugs but it appears she needs outside support at this stage.
“What my family is thinking about now is for Richard to gain his sight. In fact he has been a burden to me. He has completed senior high school and he is supposed to continue but because of his sight, he can’t do anything,” Richard’s dad said.
“So anything to be done for my son to gain his sight, I support it. If the surgery can make him gain his sight or there is any other alternative I support it. We have been to a number of eye clinics and the doctor told us that the pressure has gone up again. It is expensive to treat him but we have been supported by sister Yvonne Nelson for over a year now.”
Yvonne told NEWS-ONE that her foundation was raising some form of help for him but it would also need external support because the treatment for Glaucoma was expensive.
“YNGF has been there for him. We have been supporting him since day one, we met him. Ever since he got to us, we have been buying his drugs, doing the best we can to help support him. And everything we do comes straight from our accounts and people are not donating to us.
Everything is from our own pocket. So we are appealing to people, corporate institutions, philanthropists and all who are touched to come on board. We are appealing to them to come on board and support Richard Amoako. He is not the only one; we have other Glaucoma victims that we are supporting. So I’m appealing to Ghanaians to come on board and help support Richard because the treatment for Glaucoma is very expensive. We need some support from the public.”
Yvonne Nelson’s Glaucoma Foundation was launched couple of years ago to campaign against the disease. She has organised a Glaucoma Essay competition among basic school pupils to get them to know about the disease and always get themselves screened. To support Richard Amoako or Yvonne Nelson Glaucoma Foundation, one can call 0302817658, 0243859367 or 0243468567. |
