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Listen to our sight-saving BBC Radio 4 appeal presented by Gyles Brandreth
Posted on:
Monday, February 13th, 2023
Don’t miss our BBC Radio 4 appeal this week, presented by author, broadcaster and long-time CBM supporter Gyles Brandreth.
Gyles Brandreth shares the story of Memory (pictured above), a 7 year-old girl from rural Malawi, who lost her sight to cataracts. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. They can be removed with sight-restoring surgery. But for families like Memory’s in rural Malawi, too often treatment is out of reach.
He says:
“I find it shocking that children needlessly lose their sight to a condition that’s easily treated. The word Cataract comes from the Latin word ‘cataracta’ meaning ‘portcullis’ or barrier. For Memory, cataracts certainly seemed a huge barrier. Yet this was completely unnecessary. Cataracts are treatable with straightforward surgery. The problem for children like Memory is that help is often out of reach. Her nearest eye hospital is 5 hours away by bus.
One of the things I love about CBM is how their practical interventions make a huge impact – £95 can fund sight-restoring cataract surgery. Just hours after Memory’s surgery at CBM’s partner hospital, she could read letters on a sight-test chart and walk around independently – no longer clinging to her mum’s arm. Now Memory can go back to school.”
Donate now to help reach more children like Memory.
About Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster, actor and former MP, well known for regular TV appearances including Celebrity Gogglebox, Have I Got News For You, Great Canal Journeys, The One Show and This Morning. One of the stars of Just a Minute on BBC Radio 4 since the 1980s, he has written numerous books and co-presents a weekly podcast about words: Something Rhymes With Purple. Gyles has generously supported CBM for over 20 years.
Join Gyles Brandreth and support our sight-saving work.
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