High hopes that Brisbane trip will restore Vanuatu child’s sight

A company building recycled and cyclone-resistant houses on the Vanuatu island of Tanna is helping to provide vital medical care to a four-year old girl and hopefully restore her sight.

Marceline is practically blind and needs a corneal transplant in one eye to be able to see again.

With the help of the NevHouse Foundation, Marceline has been flown to Brisbane for treatment, where she is currently undergoing tests to see if she's a candidate for the transplant.

The Vanuatu representative for NevHouse, Ernie Johnson, says everyone is hopeful that the operation will go ahead.

Johnson told Pacific Beat the girl was found at a hospital when a team went to Tanna to build houses in a village that was devastated by Cyclone Pam.

If all goes well, the girl will have 80% vision which would change her life considerably.

 

Photo file: Aerial view of Tanna Island