The Libdeh Family, Jerusalem, December 2010

Hisham Abu Libdeh is a 52 year old father of seven. He suffers from mental health issues and is unemployed. His own father was treated for retinal problems at the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem some 20 years ago.

Abu Libdeh has been married twice and was divorced from his first wife, with whom he has two children. He has five children with his current wife, who is also a first cousin. Mrs Libdeh suffers from asthma, as do two of their children. Both Mr and Mrs Libdeh and two of the children – Alaa, 13 years old and Yousef, 9 – are myopic,and, when they came to the Eye Hospital, were all in need of spectacles. Although Mr Libdeh is from Jerusalem, his identity card has been revoked and so his health insurance was stopped by the Israeli Authorities. He and his family now depend upon the 700 ILS (£127) that they receive from the Palestinian Ministery of Social Affairs every three months and were unable to afford either sight tests or glasses.

As a result, the children’s educational and social abilities were suffering.

The Libdeh family was referred to us in December 2010, when they were seen by our Social worker, Inshirah Abu Tair. Having determined that the family desperately needed treatment but that they were unable to afford it, the Hospital went ahead with treatment and exempted all expenses, including spectacles.

*Dr Abdallah Hantash

Dr Abdallah Hantash, who treated the Libdehs says, “In our country, glasses are very expensive and, in this case, the patients included young children in school with poor vision due to refractive error. Giving them glasses is like giving them vision. Before, they failed to see the blackboard or to play with others, but after wearing these glasses they got a new start in their life.”

After receiving his own spectacles, Mr Libdeh, who refused to have his photograph taken, said, “I appreciate the St. John Eye Hospital and trust its professional medical team. Thank you to all at St .John for helping both my children and also my father before them.”