Davian Lalor in a race to save his sight

Three months ago, 22-year-old Davian Lalor’s life changed in the blink of an eye. Heading home after a shift at a call centre, he was attacked with a chemical substance that burned his eyes, leaving him in unbearable pain and facing the terrifying prospect of permanent blindness.

Now, Lalor is racing against time to raise more than $2.7 million for a surgery that could restore his sight.

“Without this surgery, the doctor says I won’t be able to see again, and I can’t imagine continuing life like this,” Lalor shared.

The nightmare began on August 8. Lalor had just left work in Constant Spring, St Andrew, and boarded a bus headed to downtown Kingston. While on the bus, an unknown assailant threw a corrosive substance directly into his eyes. The attack, which Lalor said was unprovoked, has left him reeling as his vision is rapidly deteriorating.

Doctors at the University Hospital of the West Indies said that without specialised surgery, his vision might be permanently lost. Fortunately, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Florida, USA, has offered to perform the sight-saving procedure—at a cost of US$17,000 (approximately J$2.7 million).

“Since this happened, I haven’t been able to work, and it’s just my mother taking care of me. We really don’t have that kind of money. I desperately need help,” Lalor explained, adding that his current condition has stolen his independence.

“My mother does everything for me now. She lays out my clothes, puts toothpaste on my toothbrush. If I need to go anywhere, she has to guide me. I just want to be able to see again so I can help myself. I should be the one taking care of her, not the other way around,” he said.

His mother, Walata Spence, is deeply affected by her son’s plight. “It breaks my heart to see him like this. He’s always been hardworking, and now, at just 22, his whole life is on hold,” she shared.

Spence is making a heartfelt appeal to the public for support.

“If anyone is willing to help, we’d be so grateful. I don’t have this kind of money, and I just want to see my son up and living again.”

Persons willing to assist Davian Lalor may transfer funds to his sister’s, Ifa Shana Lalor, bank account:

CIBC First Caribbean International Bank

Acc #:1002359541

Branch: King Street