Open Your Eyes

After fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor working at a prestigious hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dr. Mehdi Mostamand believed he had it all. But then, on one cold, snowy day in 1965, he saw an image that changed his life forever: a picture of a twelve-year-old blind boy in the newspaper rekindled old memories and reminded him of why he chose to become a doctor in the first place. Driven by his desire to help ailing children in remote Afghan villages, Dr. Mostamand gave up his comfortable job in cosmopolitan Kabul and moved to Herat, where he could reach the most affected children on the brink of becoming blind. A lifelong follower of Rumi’s philosophy and poetry, he met every challenge by recalling and living by Rumi’s words. “We are not in pursuit of happiness; we are searching for a reason to be happy. That reason gives meaning to life, and that meaning is our purpose in life.” This became his mantra as he found his purpose in life, forged a connection with a blind boy who inspired his mission, and helped save thousands of children from a painful infection that led to blindness, and more severely, the devastating living conditions that came with it in rural Afghanistan. Open Your Eyes is a raw, emotional, and uplifting true story that recounts the odds one man must overcome to save Afghanistan’s future. It gives readers a glimpse into the ill-fated country before the emergence of the Taliban and the two-decade American longest war that followed.