Safraz Gafoor

Imagine being told that your child is rapidly losing their vision, and will be blind in a few short months…Imagine being told that you will no longer be able to see your mother’s smile or all the beauties of the world which you have come to love. This is the reality for Safraz and his family.

Safraz suffers from a rare vision disorder which is causing him to lose his eyesight despite his doctors' incredible efforts in Guyana to slow or stop the progression. As result, SHEA Charity was contacted by Safraz’s doctors with an urgent request for assist in saving his vision. We gladly accepted Safraz’s case on May 1, 2019, and coordinated treatment services for him in the U.S. with a world-renowned Ophthalmologist.

We were able to quickly accept and fund this case without hosting a fundraiser due to a generous donation made to SHEA Charity on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Balwant Singh, better know as Pepsi and Barbara!

We would like to express sincere gratitude to you, Mr. and Mrs. Singh. What an incredible gift you have given to this child who had very little hope!

Update: August 28, 2019
Safraz underwent vision correction (cornea transplant) surgery yesterday at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. His surgery lasted 4 hours and he had his follow-up visit today. It was determined that 90% of his vision has been restored. He will be under close observation for the next three months to ensure the transplant is not rejected.

Update: October 2019
Safraz has successfully completed all aspects of this vision correction surgery and the transplanted cornea has settled in successfully. He will return home to Guyana in late October 2019 to rest and recover.

Update: March 2020
Covid-19 permits, Safraz will travel back to the United States where he will have a second minor surgery and follow-up care to complete his treatment.

Update: April 30, 2021
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, Safraz’s follow-up treatment was significantly delayed.  But, we are happy to share that he received clearance to travel to the U.S. to complete this treatment in May 2021.

Update: May 11, 2021
After much complications with Safraz’s body rejecting the transplanted cornea, his doctors were able to manipulate the placement and successfully save his vision. He returned to Guyana 3 weeks post treatment.

Please donate to SHEA Charity so that we can continue to help other children like Safraz.

SHEA is a publicly funded 501(c)3 nonprofit, which is managed by volunteers. 100% of all donations are allocated to patient care. See our Gold Star Commitment to Transparency rating at GuideStar. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/47-5525774