At times, misfortunes and abject poverty can push a man to the edge that he might even resort to doing the unthinkable such as taking away his own life!
And that’s exactly what 66-year-old Lawrence Sackie of Weala, Margibi, attempted to do, a while ago, after he went completely blind without hope of ever regaining his sight back. Compounding it all has been his inability to fetch food for himself and has to now look out to neighbors for handouts.
Mr. Sackie made this revelation Saturday, Sept. 28, when President Joseph Boakai’s foundation arrived at his town to conduct eye-screening tests as well as catalog patients with severe eye problems such as Sackie’s, for possible future operations.
According to his story, Sackie wasn’t born blind. He had good eyesight before and even went as far as to build his family a house in Weala itself where he lived with his 11 children.
His eye problem began in late 2009, October, and grew worse till he lost his sight altogether; worst still, all his 11 children (mostly grown-up), eventually moved out of the home, abandoning him.
Unable to fetch for himself, and with no wife around to cater to his needs, Sackie grew weary, panicking over his condition that’s when he started to contemplate committing suicide and ending his own life to cut off the sufferings.
What pushed him to consider suicide wasn’t so much the family abandonment that left him a burden to the community.
In his trial, however, one neighbor who has stood up for often visiting, and sharing meals with him, is a church sister known as Mother Anna.
Anna, a middle-aged woman, held Sackie’s hands and led him to the eye-screening center in September after she heard of the pending JNB Foundation’s eye exams.
“I didn’t want to bother coming anymore because they said my eyes were damaged, but she encouraged me to come and do another eye check,” he said.
Sackie who spoke privately with the JNB Foundation medical department’s head, and later this writer about his “planned suicide,” indicated he had “given up” hope but Sis. Anna’s help, plus a second eye-check result he received from the JNB Foundation eye-screen program brought him some relief.
In addition, he said his engagement with the Word of God through the help of Sis. Anna and others within their community have for the most part dissuaded him from entertaining suicidal thoughts.
On the day of the eye-screening exercise, Mr. Sackie heaped endless praises on Sis. Anna helps feed him and runs his errands.
For Dr. Tamba who re-examined Sackie’s eyes, his case, he says, though seems severe, still holds hope in the face of the expected arrival of Operation Smile to Liberia soon.
This international humanitarian group is expected to join in partnership with the Joseph Boakai Foundation in carrying out massive eye examinations and surgical eye operations while at Sea here.
Meanwhile, Mr. Upjit Singh-Jetty’s eye-exam medical team is said to have identified at least 150 people with severe eye conditions from the Weala area during its recent exercise.
An unconfirmed report says they were turned over to John F. Kennedy Hospital and received eye operation, with Jetty’s company underwriting the costs.
