WHAT began as a routine complaint of dust in the eyes has become a nightmare for a boy in Nakonde, leaving doctors baffled, a family bankrupt, and the boy trapped in total darkness.
On May 15, 2025, nine year old Jonathan Sikaona then a cheerful Grade two pupil with a passion for football, woke up with severely swollen eyes.
It was the beginning of a nightmare that would see the Sikaona family move nearly 1,000 kilometers across Zambia in search of a diagnosis and a cure.
When most boys his age are chasing footballs and worrying about homework, nine-year-old Jonathan Sikaona now counts his days through pain and darkness in Chozi Village.
His father, 59-year-old peasant farmer Yonah Sikaona, said the family initially dismissed it as a minor eye problem and rushed the boy to Ntolondo Clinic, where he was treated with eye drops and tablets.
Instead of improving, Jonathan’s condition worsened, forcing the family into a painful journey from one hospital to another in search of answers.
They moved from Kasama General Hospital to private Chinese clinics and later to major hospitals in Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi and Luanshya, all without success.
Their final hope within Zambia was the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, where Jonathan stayed from June to September.
Despite numerous tests, scans and even surgery, doctors failed to identify the disease as the boy’s eyesight continued to deteriorate until he completely lost his vision.
By the time the family returned to Chozi Village in October, their farming income had been exhausted and Jonathan was living in total darkness.
“Doctors told us they could not identify the disease despite all the tests,” Sikaona shared with Chete FM.
“They later recommended that we take him to India, where specialists might help.”
Jonathan has since only attended one school term and is supposed to be in Grade three this year.
According to his father, Jonathan still talks about becoming a doctor and a pastor and often asks when he will return to school.
For now, Jonathan spends most of his days lying quietly under a mosquito net, relying on his parents and siblings to guide him, feed him and help him move around.
Sikaona said the boy cries often because his eyes are constantly watery and painful.
“Even if he does not see again, I pray that the wounds in his eyes can heal so that he is relieved from the pain,” he said.
Doctors have since advised the family that specialised treatment in India may offer hope, after failing to diagnose the illness locally.
To make the trip possible, the family needs about K50,000 to cover travel and medical expenses.
As Jonathan waits in darkness, his future now depends on the kindness of well-wishers willing to help give a child another chance to see, learn and play again.
By George Musonda
Picture credit: Chete FM
Kalemba January 3, 2025
