The chanting of the young kids in 13-year-old Aschenk’s village shouting, "Here comes the blind boy. Here comes the blind boy!" still rings in his ears. Quiet tears of hurt and humiliation rolled down his face as he recounted the cruel taunts hurled at him from his neighbors in rural Ethiopia.
Through no fault of his own, Aschenk went blind following an outbreak of a measles epidemic at the age of 3. It was critical, but apart from his blindness, he recovered his health. He was one of the lucky ones who were able to attend a school for the blind where he learned Braille.
Smart, composed, and thoughtful, Aschenk wants very much to learn how to read and write; but ever mindful that blindness may again be a part of his life, he intends to continue with his Braille studies.
His eyes are big and speak volume of experience for one so young. He speaks of the pain he felt from the hurtful words spoken by the kids he wished were his friends, but he has compassion for them too. If he could change anything it would be that others would find a way to change their attitude by learning to be more kind to the unfortunate ones.
Aschenk’s eyes are so expressive they sparkle and shine with an innocence and intelligence far beyond his years. He is determined to study hard and be brilliant so he can become a medical doctor. Ideally he would like to be an ophthalmologist.
When asked if he had any words he would like offer the donor family in America, he became very quiet as though wanting to choose the exact right words to express how he feels. Quietly and with a tenderness that brought tears to everyone’s eyes, he said, "It is beyond my words or idea to say how I feel." But he thanks and has deep appreciation for the donor, the doctors, the nurses, and his auntie who brought him to the hospital for surgery.
After the surgery he was in a darkened recovering room. There were 2 rows of more than 25 beds waiting to be occupied by other patients later in the day. He had a sheet over his head to protect his eyes from the light. When the doctor removed the bandages to test his vision, Aschenk looked confused, squinted a bit, then called out "2 fingers, 3 fingers, and 4 fingers!" A smile radiated across his face as though a lit path lay out before his eyes pointing to the future.
The very first person he wants to see when he gets home is his little sister; and then he has a lot of catching up to do in the village and at school.
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