First Flight Middle School student Jared Perez was born with cataracts in both eyes that greatly impaired his vision. At the age of three he underwent surgery in another country to correct the cataracts in both of his eyes. The surgery left Jared nearly blind and unable to open his eyes. Jared lived like this for 9 years until this past year when his Aunt Rosalina sought local community support to assist with the expense of three additional surgeries to help Jared regain his sight.
The first of these three surgeries occurred in December of 2020, with the help of many generous organizations. When the call came in to the Outer Banks Relief Foundation for the last $5,000 needed to schedule the surgery, the vote to support Jared was unanimous.
Today Jared is a happy 12-year-old boy. He can now see clearly. His eyes have developed the muscle tone to open and stay open.
When asked how his renewed vision has changed his life, he shared that he often prayed for his headaches to go away and just to be happy. His vision was not on his prayer list because he had never known what being able to see would be like.
“I’m just so happy. I have always wanted to be happy and now I am happy,” shared Jared.
“His energy is noticeably different after the surgery, and he is excited to really dive into his studies at school,” according to his Aunt Rosalina.
As Jared proceeds in his recovery, he is able to sleep soundly without headaches. What a “relief” this is for Jared and his family. And if a picture tells a thousand words, just look at this happy boy smiling with his eyes!
