James and Betty Willis are hoping the house auction raises funds for the purchase of the laser to help people like James who currently have to travel to Brisbane for the three minute procedure.

Photo Nicholas Falconer

JAMES Willis broke down as he spoke of the hardship he has endured from glaucoma and cataracts, and of the relief to finally be treated locally for his condition.

He and his wife Betty, both in their 70s, have had to make numerous trips to Brisbane for treatment.

By the end of the year the Sunshine Coast should be able to offer the same treatment thanks to a fund raising initiative of the Wishlist Foundation.

“That’s how much of a relief it is,” Mr Willis said as he brushed away the tears.

Mr Willis has been on a waiting list for surgery for more than three years. He said the condition had made even simple activities difficult.

“It makes it difficult to walk. When I look down at the ground, all I see is a big blur,” he said.

“You don’t know where the dips are or where the hills are. If I fall down I can’t get back up.”

Wishlist is the Sunshine Coast’s leading charity and has raised more than $9 million to purchase medical equipment and support local public hospitals.

The latest project will raise funds to improve and expand the Coast’s ophthalmology services through Wishlist House.

In conjunction with Ausmar Homes and Stockland, a home will be built from scratch using donated goods and services. It will then be auctioned, with all proceeds going towards helping people like Mr Willis.

Ausmar Homes director Tim Hendy said it was a project in which the award-winning building company was keen to be involved.

Ausmar will manage the project from start to finish and will liaise with local businesses to organise all the supplies, equipment, labour and subcontractors free of charge.

Wishlist is urging the community to get behind the cause.

For more information or to donate, contact Ausmar on 5442 6413

See this story online at the Sunshine Coast Daily.

Loo For A View

Sunshine Coast Daily digital - Alicia Gutierrez | 11th July 2011

THE first time Guy Smith’s mum insisted her 40-something-year-old son get his peepers checked for signs of early eye disease, he reluctantly complied in an effort to please her.

It was four years ago that Guy’s mum, who is in her 70’s, was diagnosed with glaucoma, a debilitating eye disease that threatened to hamper her grey nomad, sightseeing, on-the-road lifestyle.

“Since mum was diagnosed with glaucoma, she’s been nagging me - mainly unsuccessfully - to get my eyes checked regularly,” Guy said affectionately.

“As it turns out, she was right to nag at me, as I just found out I am at eight times greater risk of developing eye disease due to my family history of it.”

No longer a skeptic when his mum prods him to visit his optometrist, Guy said he was excited to hear about Wishlist House, a project which has seen Ausmar Homes and the community rallying to build a house from donated goods and services on land provided by Stockland, which will then be auctioned to buy ophthalmology equipment for the local public health service.

Currently there are just a couple of eye specialists on the Coast performing eye examinations and daily procedures such as glaucoma treatment along with cataract and lid surgery.

The proceeds from Wishlist House will be used to build state-of-the-art ophthalmology services locally.

Along with his wife Karen, Guy owns and operates Hire-A-Loo, a family business which, as its name suggests, is essentially about toilets.

The husband and wife team say they have worked closely with Ausmar Homes over the years, and when they heard about Wishlist House and its cause were immediately inspired to volunteer their services to the project.

“Eyesight is essential, and likewise, Hire-A-Loo provides essential services,” Guy said.

“Many people don’t like to talk about loos, but toilets are a crucial part of any building project, so we are far from insignificant.” Karen jokes that toilets can even be quite photogenic.

No strangers to charitable causes, Guy and Karen are members of the World Toilet Organisation which aims to improve toilets and sanitation worldwide, particularly in third world nations.

“2.6 billion people around the world do not have access to a toilet, but these things are under the radar because when you grow up in a first world country you take things like sanitation and toilets for granted,” Guy said.

“On a personal level, seeing what my mum is going through has reaffirmed our commitment to the project. I love that Wishlist House is for a local cause and helping people improve an essential element - their eyesight.”

Work begins on Wishlist House

THE building of Wishlist House is underway with a flurry of activity at the official sod turning today.

Wishlist, in collaboration with Ausmar Homes, Stockland and a generous community of tradies, contractors and business owners are rallying to build a home - complete with a swimming pool - from donated goods and services to raise funds towards improving the Coast’s ophthalmology services.

Wishlist House is modeled on the award-winning 2003 venture, The House the Coast Built, which helped raise the $1.5million needed to establish the Sunshine Coast Cancer Centre.

For the past couple of months, Wishlist has been calling on the local community for help with its newest project, and the offers have been flooding in.

Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe said she is amazed and touched by the response thus far from business owners, tradies, builders and suppliers who are volunteering their services free of charge, many of whom have yet to recover from a very trying year financially.

The project is proudly supported by the Sunshine Coast Daily and other media partners.

Wishlist is still seeking furniture for the home, a security system, vacuum cleaning system and other items to add a little luxury to the home. For more information go to the Wishlist House site.