Bold-Erdene’s left eyelid drooped visibly downward. He was shy and withdrawn—and at risk of going blind in his left eye—until surgeons on our Flying Eye Hospital stepped in to help!
As a young boy, Bold-Erdene remembers his classmates saying to him “Hey ‘Oh my God!’ I see that your one eye is smaller than the other one, why is that?”
It made Bold-Erdene withdrawn, shy and sad … he’d even take pictures of himself showing only the right side of his face.
But that wasn’t the worst of it: Bold-Erdene’s ptosis put him at risk of going blind in his left eye.
When Bold-Erdene and his mother visited the Mother and Children Hospital in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the doctors told them that a special plane was coming soon – the Flying Eye Hospital – where doctors could fix his eye.
When Bold-Erdene stepped into the Flying Eye Hospital, he was excited to be there – it was his very first time on a plane! Only 10 years old at the time, Bold was uncommonly brave: as his anesthesia began to set in, he sang songs from the animated hit movie Frozen.
Bold comforted by his mother as he awakens from his successful surgery.
The next day, Bold-Erdene and his mother came back in to see his doctor.
When his bandage was removed, his mother said that Bold-Erdene was surprised, "He just knew that he had an operation and his eyes would become similar to each other, but he had no idea that they would put in an eyelid. He started taking photos again of himself. First the right side, then the left side, then comparing both eyes.”
After the first day, he was seeing everything clearly!
A happy Bold and his mother before his post-operative appointment.
Four years after his surgery, the Flying Eye Hospital returned to Mongolia and we invited Bold-Erdene to visit us once more. Bold-Erdene was 14 years old and had just graduated from eighth grade. His experience with Orbis had inspired him to become a doctor, and so he had decided to study biology and chemistry to work toward his dreams.
Four years after his surgery, Bold-Erdene visited the Flying Eye Hospital once more – and told us he now dreams of becoming a doctor!
Because of friends like you, we were able to provide the sight-saving treatment Bold-Erdene needed. You’ve helped pave the way to a brighter future for this ambitious and brave teenage.
But so many more kids and adults around the world need our help. And that depends on you.
