Meet Hope...
Hope was bought to me by a co-worker when she was a week old and weighted only 3.9 ounces. She was apparently abandoned by her mother. Both of her eyes were badly infected. There was a good chance she would be blind due to the severity of the infection. She was also having neurological problems which caused her head to bob and her to have trouble walking.
At 4 months old Hope is definitely not blind. She can also walk and run without falling, although her development is still delayed. She has come a long way but still has some work ahead of her. She recently was diagnosed with eyelid agenesis, which means her upper eyelids didn’t form properly. Because of this she is unable to completely shut her eyes and the hair around her lid gets in her eye. She will need surgery, which will cost $1200, when she is a little bigger. If not treated the hairs could further damage her eyes, not to mention the pain and discomfort she is in.
Update: Hope is now over a year old, fully grown and is a whopping 6 pounds! She has had a total of 3 surgeries in the past 6 months. The first to graft her new eye lids and the 2nd and 3rd surgery to laser the hairs around her eyes that were touching her cornea. We are hoping this last surgery did the trick and she won’t have to undergo any more. She is happy and playful despite having minor neurological problems and having to wear a diaper because she is incontinent.
Please consider making a donation to help Hope!
