A YOUNG man from Palm Ridge, Alberton, watched his first movie at the cinema, after a decade of being blind, on Thursday, 26 May.
Philani Colin Twala (20) got to see the acclaimed movie, Avatar, chosen by people from all over South-Africa as the first movie he should watch, after a life-changing operation gave him back the gift of sight.
Ster-Kinekor hosted the grand event at Eastgate Shopping Centre, which saw media and corporate businesses involved, coming from all over to speak to the fortunate young man who can see again.
Philani celebrated his birthday just a day before the event, on May 25, and was surprised with a brand new Playstation 4 gaming system and lots of games, a feast for his new eyes to behold.
A degenerative eye disease left Philani blind, but, thanks to the Vision Mission: #Open Eyes Campaign, moviegoers and other sponsors, Philani received a double corneal transplant to restore his sight, an operation done pro bono by Dr Akiel Asvat.
“Avatar was amazing. I felt like I was inside the movie, acting in the movie, too,” said an ecstatic Philani.
Vision Mission was launched by Ster-Kinekor 10 years ago, and has been responsible for giving the gift of clear sight to thousands of underprivileged school children across the country, through screenings, eye tests and the donation of thousands of pairs of spectacles. During this time, the CSI (Corporate Social Investment) project also assisted with two previous corneal transplants. Through #OpenEyes, it has now played a significant role in the double corneal transplant operation on Philani.
“Our plea to all our cinema-goers is to ‘opt in’ during the booking process, to make a contribution to the Ster-Kinekor Vision Mission initiative,” says Bradley Knowles, general marketing manager of Ster-Kinekor Theatres.
”Giving someone the precious gift of sight, something most of us take for granted, but a life-changing event for someone like Philani, is as simple as a donation from just R2.50.”
“I have passed through the pain and now I’m focusing on the future,” says Philani, excited about what lies ahead for him.
