Due to an eye condition, Granville Benjamin at age 43 has found himself at risk of completely losing his sight and the pension he was working ever so hard to achieve.

He is appealing for the public’s assistance to set his life back on track.

For roughly two years now, Benjamin said he has been struggling with a condition called retinal detachment, which requires multiple surgeries to bring the eyes back to normal. He shared that he can see lights but not shapes. To date, he has completed one surgery, which cost him roughly $1.5 million, but he will soon require another one, for which he will have to fork out $1.1 million, he said.

According to Benjamin, reaching that mark on his own is quite difficult, as he has been out of a job for some time now.

“I was working with the Government and I was doing music as well. I was working towards my pension and, of course, that could help me to start my business afterwards. That is not possible for now, until I do the other surgery. For most of my life I have been up and about doing my business and now I just have to clutch one place. It is really rough,” he shared.

“I worked with the Jamaica Post office. I was at work one day when I realised I had issues seeing the names on the parcels. I mentioned it to my supervisor and she gave me the time off to go seek some help. I went to a particular place and they tested my eyes, they said I needed to see a specialist,” he told the Jamaica Observer, adding that the surgery he requires now will remove bubbles of oil from the eyes.

“I am worried,” Benjamin said about his feelings towards raising the required funds and the possibility he could lose his eyes completely.

Benjamin, who is also a musician, said that people wishing to assist him in completing the surgery, can reach out to him via e-mail at Gfbenjamin80@gmail.com. He can also be reached by telephone at (876)410-6701.

Valerie Cowan, who pointed the Sunday Observer to Benjamin’s plight, shared that when she learned of his condition, she felt helpless and almost moved to tears. Still, she believed something could be done to get him the help required, and that was what propelled her to reach out to the Sunday Observer.

“I was feeling helpless. I am now retired, but I knew him from work. I know him as a very vibrant, hard-working, dedicated, and ambitious young man. We had a past postal worker reunion on October 7, and when I saw my friends supporting him coming into the banquet hall, I felt the tears coming. I felt real sorry for him, and that is why I went out on a limb to find some way I could assist him. He has done surgery already, but if this one is not done, he might not get the desired results. They need to remove the oil.

“It makes no sense to come this far and turn back. I am really anxious to see him go back to work. He has much more to contribute to the world at large and not just the Jamaica postal service. He plays more than one instrument. He had his own motor car. Now he has to wait until the neighbour can take him to places. My one wish is for Granville’s sight to be restored,” she said as she appealed to the public to help Granville get his life back on track.