Youtube star lets 1000 blind people see again

YouTube king MrBeast (130 million followers) is not only known for his entertaining content but also for his charitable activities. Jimmy Donaldson (27), as the social media star’s real name is, has already raised $20 million through donations to plant new trees. He is also involved in a foundation for cleaning up the world’s oceans. His latest video is particularly emotional: Donaldson helps 1000 blind people to see. The clip has now been viewed by 44 million people.

“Half of the cases of blindness in the world can be cured with a 10-minute operation,” explains Jeff Levenson (64). He conducted the operations in a first round in Jacksonville, Florida. Levenson has been responsible for the “Gift for Sight” program for 20 years. This helps uninsured people suffering from a cataract (clouding of the lens of the eye) to have an operation. In addition to Levenson’s work, the focus of the video is primarily on the patients, who can hardly believe their luck after the procedure. But that’s not all: In some cases, MrBeast gives them money equivalent to more than 9,000 francs. He even gave a young man a check for CHF 46,000 for his college pension.

The attending physician Levenson admitted to the US TV broadcaster CNN that there was almost no cooperation with MrBeast: “I had never heard of MrBeast and almost hung up the phone again. Luckily I didn’t do that.” He and the YouTube star then asked homeless shelters for people who couldn’t afford cataract surgery. The patients often couldn’t believe their luck, Levenson explained. The doctor has big plans: “If MrBeast can ignite a fire and if we can get the support from the private sector and the government, we can cure half of the world’s blindness.”