Surgery for Howard's Eyes
Donation protected
This is Howard. He's one of my very best friends. He's an intelligent, kind, educated and enlightened person, a great supporter of equality and humanism, incurable nerd and the guy who makes sure that I or anyone even slightly vulnerable gets home safe ANY time they are out with him. He does nothing but give to those around him, nothing is too far out of his way if you need his help.
Our National Health Service is going to let him go blind. Because Howard, you see, has Keratoconus.
What he needs is a cross-linking operation with Intacs, the cross-linking should stop the further degeneration and the Intacs would restore much of the visual acuity that he has lost. It is entirely possible that his situation is too far gone for these procedures however, at which point he would require corneal grafting. All pretty yucky. All pretty expensive. And as the cross-linking with Intacs is only done in private clinics at the moment and is also a niche procedure our National Health Service won't cover it. It comes to about £14,000.
He's currently working full time and living at home, saving every last penny he has to scrape together money for the operation, but even if he had no rent or expenses it will be years before he can afford it, and by then he could already be too far gone for the above treatments. The NHS doesn't cover the treatment because despite positive results from treatment in the US it's still a specialist and niche procedure and is only performed in private clinics in the UK. I don't expect to come even close to the full goal of £14,000, but every little I can manage to scrape together to help him get there quicker I will. Howard is my friend and I love him, and he needs this surgery. Please help me to help him not go blind.
I do little sketches and things as a passtime (see https://www.facebook.com/pages/Portraits-by-Jemma-Rose/108297162652454) so anyone who donates £5 or more, message me and I will draw you something if you would like. It won't be stellar, but it will be something.
Our National Health Service is going to let him go blind. Because Howard, you see, has Keratoconus.
What he needs is a cross-linking operation with Intacs, the cross-linking should stop the further degeneration and the Intacs would restore much of the visual acuity that he has lost. It is entirely possible that his situation is too far gone for these procedures however, at which point he would require corneal grafting. All pretty yucky. All pretty expensive. And as the cross-linking with Intacs is only done in private clinics at the moment and is also a niche procedure our National Health Service won't cover it. It comes to about £14,000.
He's currently working full time and living at home, saving every last penny he has to scrape together money for the operation, but even if he had no rent or expenses it will be years before he can afford it, and by then he could already be too far gone for the above treatments. The NHS doesn't cover the treatment because despite positive results from treatment in the US it's still a specialist and niche procedure and is only performed in private clinics in the UK. I don't expect to come even close to the full goal of £14,000, but every little I can manage to scrape together to help him get there quicker I will. Howard is my friend and I love him, and he needs this surgery. Please help me to help him not go blind.
I do little sketches and things as a passtime (see https://www.facebook.com/pages/Portraits-by-Jemma-Rose/108297162652454) so anyone who donates £5 or more, message me and I will draw you something if you would like. It won't be stellar, but it will be something.
Organizer
James Howard
Organizer
