‘I want to see the world’: 7 blind Kurdish siblings hope for cure
SHARGO, Turkey — Mohammed Emin and six of his nine siblings are blind or losing their eyesight. They suffer from a congenital disorder that is damaging their retinas.
“Until the age of 20, I could see. I was able to walk and go outside. I used to visit friends and neighbours. Since then, I have completely lost my eyesight,” said Mohammed Emin Sinekci.
He is completely blind and his siblings have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their vision.
The younger ones would help their older siblings until their eyesight, too, began to fail.
“I used to take my other brothers to the hospital. I used to take them to different cities. I used to hold their hands and take them for a walk,” said Hikmet Sinekci. “Because of my eyesight issue, I can no longer help them out.”
The family is hoping for some assistance to restore their eyesight.
“With the help of God, I want a cure to restore my vision. I want to see the world. I want to see our livestock. I want to work as a shepherd. I want to work,” said Weysi Sinekci.
Optometrist Dr. Fikret Unal said stem cell treatment may be an option, but it’s costly. “If they receive this treatment, their vision will remain stable. This is an expensive treatment and the government does not help the patients,” he said.
Translation by Zhelwan Zeyad Wali
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
“Until the age of 20, I could see. I was able to walk and go outside. I used to visit friends and neighbours. Since then, I have completely lost my eyesight,” said Mohammed Emin Sinekci.
He is completely blind and his siblings have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their vision.
The younger ones would help their older siblings until their eyesight, too, began to fail.
“I used to take my other brothers to the hospital. I used to take them to different cities. I used to hold their hands and take them for a walk,” said Hikmet Sinekci. “Because of my eyesight issue, I can no longer help them out.”
The family is hoping for some assistance to restore their eyesight.
“With the help of God, I want a cure to restore my vision. I want to see the world. I want to see our livestock. I want to work as a shepherd. I want to work,” said Weysi Sinekci.
Optometrist Dr. Fikret Unal said stem cell treatment may be an option, but it’s costly. “If they receive this treatment, their vision will remain stable. This is an expensive treatment and the government does not help the patients,” he said.
Translation by Zhelwan Zeyad Wali
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed