Anahit and Hayk’s Story

From Shadows to Light: Mother and Son Receive Sight-Saving Cornea Transplants in Armenia

Hayk is six years old and lives in Yerevan with his family. His mother, Anahit, was born with a hereditary eye disease that unfortunately has been passed down in her family from generation to generation. Anahit’s grandfather passed the disease on to her father, who then passed it down to Anahit and most recently now, to Anahit’s son.

“I couldn’t see the school chalkboard,” Anahit remembers, saying that her blurry vision began in childhood. “Because of my poor vision, I couldn’t achieve my dreams or goals. I couldn’t study or find a job. And when I married, I feared of passing the disease on to my children.”

Sadly, one of Anahit’s children – Hayk – did inherit the eye disease. “I recognize people only by voice,” Hayk says. “My vision is very poor. I need to hold my mom’s hand to go anywhere. I wish for better sight so I can go out and play.”

Recently, Anahit and Hayk visited Dr. Anna Hovakimyan at the Malayan Ophthalmological Center in Yerevan. Dr. Hovakimyan is one of the first physicians in Armenia to participate in AECP’s Fellowship Program in the U.S. back in 1999. Today, Dr. Hovakimyan heads the Cornea Clinic at Yerevan’s top eye center, a job she has fulfilled now for over 20 years.

The first time Dr. Hovakimyan met Anahit and Hayk, she noticed that they both had cloudy corneas, which is a form of blindness. In Hayk’s case, if his cloudy cornea wasn’t replaced with a healthy cornea, he would stay blind forever.

Unfortunately, Armenia lacks cornea tissue. These tissues must be imported into the country and are often quite costly, ranging anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500 per tissue.

During a recent Medical Mission, AECP Volunteer Physician Dr. Anthony Aldave, who works at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute and is a world-renowned expert in the field, visited Armenia and brought with him corneal tissue that could be used for cornea transplant surgeries.

Dr. Hovakimyan first performed a cornea transplant on Anahit. It was very successful. Then, a few months later, she performed the same surgery on Hayk. “After the surgery, I started to see,” Hayk said. “I could see everything!”

Dr. Hovakimyan recalls Hayk’s excitement after his procedure. “He started to smile, saying ‘I can see the colors!’… He gave a hug to me. He was extremely happy.”

Hayk’s mother, Anahit, also remembers Hayk’s eagerness to move without help. “A few weeks after the surgery, he wanted to let go of my hand,” Anahit remembers. “Initially terrified, I gradually let go.”

“Now without holding my mother’s hand, I can go to school independently,” Hayk says with a big smile. “I’m very happy that I can see now. Thank you!”

“I’m immensely happy and grateful,” Anahit adds. “Our future is no longer in the dark.”

You can be the reason Armenians in need of cornea transplants get the sight-saving care they need. Please consider sponsoring this invaluable initiative in Armenia by providing our organization with the resources to purchase the often-expensive cornea tissues that are so desperately needed to save the sight of so many Armenians.