Chester’s perfect vision restored
The 16-year-old said he felt nervous and scared before the transplant but is now excited about life.
He was on a waiting list for a cornea transplant due to a degenerative eye condition known as Keratoconus.
“We didn’t expect the response to be so good, everything happened so fast,” his mother Rene Russel said.
Van Zyl went for the operation last Thursday and is recovering at home.
“Chester is doing fine, he doesn’t even complain about pain,” said Russel.
Before going in to surgery, Van Zyl said he felt nervous and scared.
“I had a lot on my mind, I was also scared because of the pain.
“Now, I’m excited about life and I can’t wait for my vision to be restored so that I can play drums again,” Van Zyl said.
His vision, for now, is completely gone in his right eye but will be restored over a lengthy period.
Van Zyl has to visit a doctor often to ensure that his body doesn’t reject the cornea and to prevent infections in the eye.
The family will continue raising money for people who can’t afford desperately needed medical treatment.
They have already identified a few people, one of them a three-year-old with a similar condition to Van Zyl’s.
“There is hope for the hopeless,” Russel said.
