Paul Morrison co-host on Brekky Show 98five FM in Perth
Stories | July 31, 2019
I never realised how blind I was…
Two years into hosting breakfast radio on 98five FM I was broadcasting from our studios in Como, Perth Western Australia, asking our family of listeners to support CBM by giving $33 towards a simple cataract operation. It was 2013 and my first Miracles Day.
I knew what cataracts were, as my grandmother had hers removed in her early sixties and then my dad had his removed in his mid fifties.
I knew this was a great way to help someone who needed their sight restored.
I also knew that $33 wasn’t really much money for most people in Perth. It’s easy to blow that much without thinking on a movie and popcorn, or a smashed avocado and coffee for breakfast.
But what I didn’t know, where I was truly blind, was my ignorance of how that small donation could literally change someone’s life forever.
This year I’m travelling with CBM to a remote town in Nepal. My 98five FM co-hosts Kirste and Corey and I will be witnessing people having life-changing cataract surgery.
I’ve witnessed cataracts operations in Tanzania, Nepal, Vietnam and the Philippines and, as someone from one of the richest cities on planet earth, to see the contrast of a disability in my country versus a disability in a situation of poverty, I know where I would rather live if I was to lose my sight.
And, just to give some real authority to having my eyes fully opened, the final twist in my story came after a routine trip to the optometrist two years ago. He said to me “You are 45 years old now. It looks like you may just need some reading glasses, which you can easily get from the chemist…”
Something didn’t seem quite right so I went and saw an eye specialist. “Mr Morrison it’s no big deal, although you are quite young to be developing cataracts…”
Over the next 18 months my eyes deteriorated fairly quickly and I was starting to squint when reading and looking at screens. But I could still drive ok, still do my job on radio and, most importantly, still kick and mark a footy. I was booked in through public system and in March and June of this year, I had my cataracts removed.
Same procedure, just from a very different perspective.
If you have ever prayed that you would like to have your eyes opened a little more, start by making a $33 Miracle happen for someone living in poverty this Miracles Day on 15 August.
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/paul-morrison-west-coast-eagles-chaplain
Related Stories
A Light of Hope
Content Warning: The story in this letter refers to suicide, which may be distressing for some readers. If you or someone you know is in need of support, please...
Small Business, Big Impact: supporting mental health in Indonesia
Work is a big part of our lives. Not...
A Resilient Woman
Margie, a mother of seven, is a daycare worker in a small coastal village in the Philippines. A few years ago, Margie was diagnosed with a mental health condition after...