Ringing in the new (school) year

When my kids were growing up, September always felt like “New Year’s” in our house. There was something about the fall season and the excitement of the new school year that got us back into a routine and setting goals for the coming months. We’d start going to bed earlier, register the kids for extra-curricular… Continue reading Ringing in the new (school) year

Children with disabilities are often forgotten

I once met a little boy with one eye. Last year while in India, I visited the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India. This world-class centre for vision care works closely with Operation Eyesight. I was touring the facility, marvelling at all the different departments. LVP handles just about every kind of eye problem… Continue reading Children with disabilities are often forgotten

A child’s brush with blindness

Growing up, my two kids were prone to the usual childhood mishaps… scraped knees, bumped heads, sprained wrists, even the odd black eye. Fortunately, their eye injuries were rare and never vision-threatening. In Africa, however, I saw children with eye traumas caused by large razor-like acacia thorns, sharp splinters of firewood, poorly-aimed rocks and sticks… Continue reading A child’s brush with blindness