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Pitasia Gonzales:  Treatment Gives Hope for
Grandchildren's Future

Pitasia Gonzales is 79 years old and blind.

She lives in rural Mexico with her daughters, in a home surrounded by coffee fields accessible only by foot. Like many of the women in her community, Gonzales was a strong and capable provider for her family, until river blindness stole her sight many years ago.

Unable to cook, clean, or dress herself, Gonzales is now dependent on her daughters. But  Gonzales says she is hopeful because her grandchildren receive preventative treatment for river blindness.

"Their generation has the opportunity to preserve its vision," said Gonzales, who may be one of the last people in the Americas to be blinded by this disease.

The river blindness campaign pushes to eliminate the disease from the Western Hemisphere by 2012.

Learn more about how The Carter Center is combating river blindness in Mexico.