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Mom Sees Child for First Time After Sight Surgery
Prepare to get all ferklempt: a New York City woman got to see her two-year-old for the first time this week after surgery restored the vision she lost at the birth.
If you’re not already crying, this will do it: the divorced mom didn’t have money for the expensive surgery, so the infirmary where the procedure was done picked up the tab for the half Medicaid wouldn’t cover. How’s that for holiday cheer? Cassy Rivera has uveitis, a swelling and irritation of the middle layer of the eye. She lost her vision by the time of the birth of her younger daughter, Aniahya. With an elder daughter, Alayza (seven), at home, that meant Rivera had to care for two kids as a blind parent with no job.
Not seeing her younger daughter was the most painful part, she told the New York Daily News. “I couldn’t see my child grow up….I could listen and smell her and hear her, but I did not have the pleasure of seeing my daughter.”
Her chances with surgery were 50/50, but she decided to take it – if she could get the funds. Then came the announcement from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary: they’d cover whatever Medicaid wouldn’t. They performed the left eye surgery, and she was able to take the train home for the first time, rushing directly to her Brooklyn home to gaze at her daughter.
There’s still one more surgery to go, but Rivera wants to get back to work, take her daughters on trips, and celebrate the first holiday where she can watch her youngest daughter open gifts. We’ll say it – it’s a Christmas miracle alright.
Image: Daily News
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2 Comments
LolaLane commented on Dec 21 09 at 11:29 amTruly a Christmas miracle! We take so much for granted and it’s small things like being able to see my two boys smiles and the goofy things they do every day that I should truly be grateful for.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Dec 21 09 at 10:00 pmMy sister has uveitis and is slowly losing her sight… thanks for the link, because I’m going to have her look into this doctor!
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