Sefo’s Keratoconus Eye Surgery

Our Gentle Giant, Iosefo, known to many as Sefo, was recently diagnosed with Keratoconus. Keratoconus (keh-ruh-tow-ko-nuhs) is an eye disease that results in a thin, weakened cornea – the clear part of the front of the eye. Instead of a smooth, rounded surface, the cornea becomes irregular and stretches, creating a cone-like bulge that causes light to not focus well and results in blurred vision and visual impairment.

Sefo's vision loss is severe enough to cause him to be legally blind. Currently, his left eye is worse than the right eye, and he has the opportunity to have surgery done in both eyes. Without having an invasive surgery like peeling off the first layer of his cornea, these surgeons would be able to go behind his eye to repair his cornea and gain some of his eyesight back.

We had plenty of consultations and did lots of research, and most of the doctors we spoke to said Sefo would still go blind and their surgery would just slow down the process. Although our son never lost hope, it was depressing knowing that later in life you would be blind. How can I navigate this disability? Situations like these can really take a toll on your mental health.

We are asking for your help to get this surgery done for our son. Any amount helps. Unfortunately, our insurance does not cover his surgery because it is out of network, so we will be responsible for 100% out-of-pocket costs. Sefo is scheduled for surgery on February 28th in Southern California.

Sefo has been suffering from this condition for a long time. He has made it through without any complaints and without our knowledge.

Sefo is such a big part of our family. The best son, brother and Uncle to us. All the kids enjoy being around Sefo. Sefo helps take care of his grandma who has dementia. He has the biggest heart. God has big plans for him and we will trust and believe in the process.

We would like to thank you all in advance for any donation big or small and especially for any prayers and sharing this link for our son. Thank you for helping our son we are humbly grateful.