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A Vietnamese girl who has been blind since birth can see out of one eye now, thanks to a lucky guess and the intervention of Seattle resident Barbara Gregg.
Gregg, who travels annually to Vietnam, had a hunch the girl, Nguyen Thi Hong Duyen, 5 (not 3, as previously reported), had some vision, after encountering her in a center for children with special needs in Qui Nhon.
She arranged for her to be examined. It turns out the child has cataracts, which are correctable. The child now has sight in her right eye and will have a second operation on her left eye next month. As a result, she is likely to be able to return to her family, which grows rice in a village several hours away from the center.
The story of Gregg's quest to give the child sight prompted many responses among other Seattle residents, one of whom volunteered to pay for half of the child's care, now estimated at $600.
"I was so thrilled, I couldn't stop crying," said Gregg of finding out the child can see.
For more information about the Ngyuen Nga Center for Children with Special Needs, see www.nncvietnam.org
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