The Timbang Family from Tarlac have a rare genetic form of inherited congenital cataract that has left three generations partially blind. In 25 years, the Fred Hollows Foundation has never had a case like this, with so many members of a family affected.
Like any grandmother, Lola Iluminada Timbang wants only the best for her children and grandchildren. But unfortunately, seven of her children had cataracts, who in turn passed it on to their children. “The kids are lucky if they can finish grade 6 because they can’t even see the blackboard,” Lola said. Theirs is a hazy world and sunlight is unbearable.
“I approached several doctors, but it was too expensive, between 50,000 and 70,000 pesos,we just couldn’t afford it,” said Layla Jake Timbang, mother of 10-year-old Marlon Jake. She worked as a housekeeper in Jordan for two years but could not save enough money for the operation. For Layla, her husband’s family history of cataracts came as a surprise. “I didn’t realise at first, because it was always night when he courted me, so he didn’t squint,” she laughed. “It was only after I got married that I found out about the family’s eye problems.”
With help from the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Tarlac Provincial Hospital Eye Center, 18 of the Timbang children had their eyes fixed on a weekend. After just a few hours, the patches came off and their blurry world is now clear.
For seven-year-old Maia Janella Garcia, it’s a revelation. She can see clearly and wants to use that opportunity to help others. Her cousin, Danielle Joshua Pagco, also seven, wants to be an astronaut and travel to his favorite planet, Jupiter. As her grandchildren open a new chapter in their lives, Lola Iluminada’s vision for future generations of the Timbang family is now a lot closer to what she always wanted.
