Running for a Good Cause
Around 50% of blindness in the world is caused by cataracts (see box). This can be overcome with a relatively simple operation taking approximately 20 minutes and costing as little as AUD 25.00.
During all my runs, whether it is in my hometown Sydney, across Australia or somewhere around the world, I see amazing landscapes and scenery. Seeing is something which makes my running enjoyable. Too often, we take seeing for granted, and we forget that millions of poor people loose their sight because of poor nutrition or other unnecessary illnesses.
Why The Fred Hollows Foundation?
The Foundation's vision of a world where no one is needlessly blind and where Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health as all Australians, is reason enough to raise money. The connection and decision to run for Fred was made when I was watching a documentary on TV about a blind Japanese runner conquering and finishing – against all odds – the famous Marathon des Sables in 2006.
That was when I decided to dedicate my efforts to raise money for the The Fred Hollows Foundation and help people around the world to regain their eyesight.
In 2008, Foundation performed over 176,000 eye operations and treatments – up from 143,759 in 2007. They examined over 1.3 million people, providing essential eye care to some of the world's poorest regions. The Foundation reduced the cost of cataract surgery to as little as $25 in some developing countries, and so far, over one million people in the world can see today because of initiatives instigated by Professor Fred Hollows.
