“Great. I’m going to go shower then. Help yourself to breakfast.”
I watched her walk out, happy to see she seemed to be in better spirits. I hoped that meant she was willing to listen to Ellis. I had noticed she seemed to be a lot more guarded when her dad was around. I knew Paul loved her, cherished her and maybe babied her just a little too much. She wasn’t fragile. I had a feeling she was struggling to be the independent woman she was, but her father’s need to control and run her life was making it difficult. She told me she didn’t want to disappoint him. I understood that and respected it, but she needed to stand up for herself and do what was best for her.
Picking up the dishes, I carried them into the kitchen. Ellis arrived ten minutes early. I already had Bree seated in the living room, wanting her to be as comfortable as possible.
“Good morning Bree,” Ellis greeted her.
Bree got to her feet. “Hi. Thank you so much for coming.”
Ellis reached for Bree’s hand and gave it a squeeze. I watched Bree closely. I felt like I knew her better than I knew myself some days. She relaxed a little. I stepped next to her and gently pulled her down to the couch. Ellis sat in the chair across from us.
“Thank you for giving me the chance to talk to you a little more about this surgery. I know it sounds terrifying and I suppose if it were my eyes and my face, I would be a little afraid as well.”
Bree nodded. “Just a little. Why do you think you can do this surgery and no one else can?”
“I know I can because I’ve done it before. I’ve watched it done. I’ve done it a hundred times in the simulator. It will become standard procedure one day, but it has to start somewhere. We have the technology, in fact, we’ve had it for some time. It’s just about tweaking a few things to make the procedure work for situations like yours.”
Bree was chewing on her lip. I could see her nervousness. “How many times has it not worked?”
Ellis looked at me. I nodded, telling her to be honest. Bree needed all the facts. “I don’t have the exact percentage, but I would think it’s about twenty percent.”
I winced. That was a pretty high number. “What does that mean?” I asked. “The patients didn’t get their sight back or what?”
“In a few cases, their sight improved slightly, but they did not regain twenty-twenty vision. In some situations, only one eye regained sight.”
Bree seemed to be taking it all in stride. “And what about complications?”
I resisted the urge to take Bree’s hand in mine. I knew this was the biggest concern. She had good reason to be worried. Ellis looked at me, her eyes going wide. I nodded, encouraging her to answer the question.
“There are potential complications, most are mild. There is a chance there could be retina separation, but that can generally be fixed with another surgery. There can be allergic reactions to the saline.”
“Death?” Bree whispered. “Is death a complication?”
“Bree, death is extremely rare and it wouldn’t be caused by this procedure.”
“But it can happen?”
“It’s never happened on my watch,” Ellis told her. “Any time anesthesia in involved, there are risks. But since you’ve successfully had anesthesia, I wouldn’t be worried about a problem of that nature.” “I understand that this is a terrifying thing to go through. And you have been through a lot. I’ve read your file, but I would like to know you, the person. I’m not trying to push you into this because I’m a doctor, but because I can see the life in you. Luke has given me some background about you and I can see a smart young, beautiful vibrant woman in there, fighting to get out. Your blindness has imprisoned you and it doesn’t have to.”
Bree slowly nodded. “If I get the surgery, you mean?”
“No! Even if you choose not to get the surgery, you do not have to live in that prison. I worked at the Institute for the Blind, shadowing some of the best doctors in the world. It wasn’t all about bringing the blind into the seeing world, but helping the blind adapt to life in their world. The key is live. Not feel like they were stuck or that their lives were over. Some of the people in there didn’t have the option for a surgery. Some had been through numerous surgeries with no more hopes of regaining sight.”
Bree took a deep breath. “You’re saying I need to appreciate the fact I have a chance. A slim chance, but a chance and others would kill to have that chance.”
Ellis softly laughed. “I like that you are a straight shooter, so I’ll be straight with you. In a nutshell, yes. This is a real chance for you. A chance that everybody doesn’t get.”
Bree seemed to respond to that. “I appreciate the honesty. I can’t give you an answer right this minute but you have given me a lot to think about.”
We talked for another ten minutes before I walked Ellis to the door. “Thank you for coming by.”
“You’re welcome. I like her. She’s a fighter. She’s going to have to be a fighter to get through this no matter what she chooses to do. You’ll be here for her?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Let her know that this isn’t a fix, this is just an opportunity to see again. She isn’t broken. You need to make sure she understands that.”
“I know. I will. I’m trying.”