Woman Gets Holiday Miracle: Sight

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago woman thought she'd soon be in a nursing home, no longer able to see after she was diagnosed with a rare eye disorder.

Now the 45-year-old will ring in the new year with a new look on life, literally.

Janice Gurvey can see today for the first time in three months.

She was diagnosed with a rare case of fast-growing cataracts. It started in her left eye and quickly spread, taking away more and more of her sight each day.

"I eventually gave up driving," she says.

Things got even worse. She lost her job, her boyfriend, who was her caretaker, had a stroke, and she was destitute.

That's when Gurvey's longtime friends and neighbors stepped in, providing the legally blind woman with around-the-clock care.

One of them began searching for doctors that could help. Only one called back.

Dr. Brian Proctor's office rearranged his schedule and Gurvey was in surgery on her left eye within four days. Her friends pitched in to cover the cost of the surgery through Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

The result was priceless.

"I can see!" Gurvey says of her reaction.

Gurvey celebrates her birthday Jan. 4. After that, she'll have surgery on her right eye to fully restore her sight.