Priya was a normal little, three-year-old girl living in a small village in India when she suddenly lost her eyesight.

Her father was an illiterate peasant who could not read or write. But he did know that there they were surgeries that could restore the eyesight of children and adults who had gone blind. But he also knew that he could never afford the surgery his daughter needed. He was a day laborer then made less than a dollar a day.

Still, he brought his daughter to hospital after hospital, begging the doctors and nurses to help her. They said no. In India is no such thing as free surgery for the poor. Everyday hundreds of people show up at each hospital begging for treatment that they cannot afford. And they usually turned away.

But Priya’s dad wouldn’t give up. He kept bringing her to hospitals and doctors for more than six years in the hopes of restoring her eyesight.

He was about to give up when one of his neighbors, who could read, showed him a small newspaper ad offering free surgery for the blind. That advertisement was placed by one of our partner hospitals. They wanted a big crowd for our visit.

Priya’s Dad and his daughter traveled more than 100 kilometers to reach our partner hospital where I met them and heard their incredible story.

The surgery Priya waited six years for took just 15 minutes. The next morning when she opened her eyes and could see again, her father cried.

So, did we.

Today, 100% of Priya’s eyesight has been restored, and so has her future.

She is going to school and looking forward to a 2nd chance at life, she never thought she’d get.