History of Sorts

It was a few weeks before Christmas 2011. We went to see “Arthur Christmas” in the cinema in 3D. Afterwards my family were saying how impressive the 3D had been, where I hadn’t noticed it at all.

I had some problem with my eye though, but hadn’t thought anything of it. I thought it was just a minor issue. After a while though I got it checked .After the drops I got didn’t help, I was referred to the Hospital. I was told my retina in my right eye had detached. Still not realizing the seriousness of it, I asked what medication I could take for that, The doctor told me that I wasn’t going anywhere, I was to stay in the Hospital for a surgery.

It was so serious that they nearly prioritized my surgery over that of a lady who had been in a serious accident and was about to lose her life.

The following morning I had my operation, Initially all seemed well and after a few days I was sent home. I was to come back for a check up a week later. During the check up I was told the retina had detached again, At this point I panicked. Because I had already been told before my 1st operation that there was a 1 in 3 chance things could go wrong. I figured the odds of something going wrong for a second operation, would be much higher.

Also the urgency had gone, indicating that the surgeons had little hope, Nonetheless they brought me in for another operation the following day- At this point I should tell you that I had very little sight in my left eye too due to something that happened when I was 3- So I went in for the surgery and literally everything that could go wrong did, My face had even become disfigured, the pressure in the right eye was too high and it needed strong medication to bring down the pressure. The medication made me very sick. Eventually the eyewall caved in, making my eye shrink. I basically lost my eye.

I was sent home at Christmas eve, nothing could be done anymore.

This where miracles start to happen.

Needless to say I was very upset, because of all this self pity I hadn’t noticed that the sight in my left eye had improved.

Prior to all of this happening my youngest son had put a “Yellow stretchy man” on his list to Santa. Because Santa was busy that year, we went to look for it. We couldn’t find it anywhere, but eventually mu wife found it an Art and Hobby shop, They toy was about an inch tall and cost 75 cents, it is very much like the one pictured above.

When he came down on Christmas morning the first present he picked up was that yellow stretchy man.

At that moment on that Christmas day ,all my self pity changed into gratefulness. The fact that I still had kids who appreciated the small things in life, made me feel the luckiest dad in the world. I broke down in tears, my kids thought it was because of sadness and what had happened to me but I told them they were tears of joy.

They sight in my left eye improved so much that I can live a normal life. Although the retina also detached a few years later (ironically also a few weeks before Christmas)in my left eye, they were able to fix it with a scleral buckle. With some special adapted glasses I can even still drive a car. I currently have a partial prosthetic right eye

Christmas miracles do still happen, also in the 21st century.