Dr. Fawaz Hamed begins his story with quiet hope: “I hope my voice reaches you.”
It does. A Sudanese physician currently completing his ophthalmology residency with the Egyptian Board, Dr. Hamed is the first doctor in his family, the eldest sibling, and the sole provider for his household. SEE has been sponsoring Dr. Hamed’s education for 2 years, with his residency now on the brink of completion. He stands as living proof that when you invest in one determined physician, you invest in countless futures.
The Moment that Changed Everything
Dr. Hamed did not choose ophthalmology by chance. As a medical student, he once watched a patient recover from eye surgery. When the patient’s bandages were removed, the man saw his newborn grandson for the first time. Tears of joy and gratitude streamed down his face at the sight.
“In that moment,” Dr. Hamed recalls, “I realized that the restoration of sight is the restoration of life.” From that day forward, he found his purpose: “In that moment I knew I wanted to spend my life making stories like his possible.”
When War Threatened a Dream
Then came the war in Sudan. Overnight, Dr. Hamed and his family lost everything. The future he had worked tirelessly toward seemed to vanish in an instant:
“I was terrified that my dream of becoming an ophthalmologist had come to an abrupt end,” he says.
He reached out to organization after organization, asking for help to continue his training. Most never responded. Others said no. But then he found SEE International, and finally got the “yes” he was desperately seeking:
“That yes was like walking through the desert, thirsty and exhausted, and finally discovering a river,” Dr. Hamed explains.
From Uncertainty to Opportunity
Support through SEE’s Education Fund covered much of Dr. Hamed’s residency. Made possible by the generosity of board member and SEE volunteer Dr. Madhavi Reddy, the fund also restored his family’s stability at a time when everything else had been stripped away.
Dr. Hamed was able to continue his education while working more than 80 hours each week, with 40 hours dedicated to formal training and another 40 spent in clinical shifts to help provide for his parents and siblings.
There have been moments of total exhaustion. Moments when giving up felt easier than pushing forward. But despite the difficulties and endless hard work, Dr. Hamed carries on, his parents’ encouragement driving him forward: “They give me the strength to keep going when I want to give up,” he said.
Lessons From His Patients
Through SEE’s investment in his education, Dr. Hamed has treated patients who have altered his understanding of medicine and of life itself.
There was Judy, a five-year-old girl whose eye trauma left her terrified of the world around her. Dr. Hamed focused first on earning her trust before treating her condition. Over time, her fear faded, and she felt safe in Dr. Hamed’s presence. She became overjoyed when her sight was restored: “Seeing her face transform from fear into a radiant smile during her follow-up is a memory I will treasure forever,” he says.
Then there was a brave teenager who lost one eye in a tragic accident. While his parents were devastated, the young man calmly reassured Dr. Hamed: “It’s okay,” he said. “I still have my other eye and the rest of my body.”
“In that moment,” Dr. Hamed says, “he became my teacher. I tried to comfort him, but he was the one who ended up helping me.”
And then there was a young woman who arrived at the emergency room at 2:00am while Dr. Hamed could barely stand from exhaustion. After her pain was relieved, she looked at him and said something he will never forget: “You are lucky. Your life has meaning, you end people’s pain.”
Dr. Hamed notes that her words changed how he approaches every night shift: “Now I go to every night shift with a different mindset, knowing I can make a difference.”
The Ripple Effect of Education
Dr. Hamed’s vision for the future involves helping others as much as he can. He plans to return to Sudan with the knowledge he has gained, where he will teach junior residents, provide specialized eyecare locally, and reduce the financial burden that forces patients to travel far or go without treatment. He hopes to volunteer in low-resource areas wherever the need is greatest.
This is the power of investing in education. When SEE International supports one doctor, entire communities gain access to care. Families are spared from unnecessary suffering. Future physicians are trained. And health systems are strengthened from within.
Dr. Hamed’s Gratitude
Dr. Hamed speaks with deep gratitude for SEE International, for the team that stood by him when hope felt distant, and for the individuals who chose to invest in his future. He offers special thanks to SEE’s Manager of Education & International Programs, Caitlin Jonov, and to Dr. Madhavi Reddy, who sponsored his third year of training: “She saved my future. She rescued my family from a nightmare and I will never forget her kindness.”
And to the physicians and donors in the United States who chose, as Dr. Hamed puts it, “to light a candle rather than curse the darkness,” your impact reaches farther than you may ever know:
“You may not know us personally, but you are helping patients and relieving pain through us,” says Dr. Hamed.
Because of people like you, more patients get the care they need. And more stories like Dr. Hamed’s are possible: “There are many talented physicians forced to stop their training program due to financial hardship,” he adds.
That’s why SEE will continue investing in the education of doctors who need our help, so they can go on to make a difference in the lives of those in need. Thank you, Dr. Hamed, for sharing your inspirational story, and for your unfathomable dedication to creating a visibly brighter future.
