JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With a cheerful chuckle, jolly ol’ Michael Jarvis sat awaiting surgery.
“Oh, it’s the best thing Santa could get,” he exclaimed.
For the last five years, he’s been one of St. Nick’s closest helpers, keeping an eye on the good boys and girls in our area. Only the eye part, hasn’t been going too well lately.
This Santa Claus has a cataract.
"It just got worse and worse until now I can't see anything out of my left eye,” said Jarvis.
That was until today.
Jarvis was one of ten legally blind Northeast Florida residents the Vision Is Priceless Council selected to receive the “gift of sight.”
The program, which was created 17 years ago, insures that no area resident remains blind because of a lack of funds.
"This is just going to make my life so much better,” Jarvis said.
And in less than 30 minutes it did.
Jarvis had his cataract repaired in a donated room at the Riverside Park Surgicenter. The doctor also donated his time.
"To give them their sight back and see them back tomorrow morning with their life changed so dramatically, it's a real pleasure,” said Dr. Jeffrey Levenson, a Jacksonville ophthalmologist.
And even through the shades, you could see three days after Christmas the gift-giver got the greatest gift of all.
"This is the greatest thing that could have happened to me this year,” said Jarvis.
Visit
Vision is Priceless for more information about the program.
