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July 5, 2024 - Blood Money
24:58
From Blindness to the movie "Sight" with Dr. Wang
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America Happens is proud to announce that we will soon be on television.
Yes, you heard it right. We are going to be on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Google, and Roku.
So make sure you check your smart TV for the America happens network very soon All right, welcome to the latest episode of blood money Today we have a very special guest, Dr.
Wen. How are you doing, sir? Good.
How are you, man? Good, good.
It's great to have you on the Blood Money podcast.
So, you know, let's just dive right into it.
So you are essentially your life rights.
Your story was made into a film by Angel Studios called Sight.
You know, let's just dive right into it.
First, tell us a little bit about your background and what led you on this journey of having your story told in this film.
Sure. Thank you, Vam, for the opportunity to be on your show, Blood Money, and appreciate our mutual friend Jordan Yi's introduction.
And so I came from China, survived a crazy period of time called Cultural Revolution, where from 1966 to 76, the government shut down all universities and colleges of entire China.
And they're forcefully deported to some of the poorest part of the country, every single high school graduate over that 10-year period, and they send away to labor camp 20 million young people.
So I caught that in 1974.
I was finishing my junior high and I was going to be sent away to labor camp for life, just like 20 million others.
Then I had to play a music instrument called Chinese violin, Erhu, and learn how to dance in order to avoid being sent away to labor camp by trying to join the government's song and dance troupe.
That did not work. Then in 1976, the Cultural Revolution ended after 10 years.
China reopened all the colleges, and I studied really hard, got into a university.
Then in 1982, with $50 borrowed from a visiting American professor with a Chinese-English dictionary, I came to America for freedom.
And I got two doctor degrees, one a PhD in laser physics, And the second doctor degree, an MD from Harvard and MIT, is I wanted to become a laser eye surgeon.
And I live in Nashville, Tennessee, run a Wang Vision Institute, where patients from all over the United States and work for the top of the line laser vision technology treatments for patients from age 18 to 107.
But also at the same time, I run a non-profit organization to help blind orphan children.
Ten years ago, I wrote a book, From Darkness to Sight, about the stories of these blind orphan children, how they came from darkness to sight, how our foundation has been able to help.
But also how at the same time, these kids also have helped me, their eye doctor, come from my own darkness to light spiritually.
In the film, God's Not Dead, the Chinese student who went from being an atheist to a believer, that was me in the film, God's Not Dead.
So the film site is based on my autobiography, From Darkness to Sight.
Wow. So, you know, watching this preview, I mean, I was asking you before we started this interview, there's something that sounds quite abusive and horrifying is that this child was actually born with eyesight, but they're purposely trying to make her Blind.
And when I asked you why they're trying to make her blind prior to this interview, you're telling me that the reason they're trying to make her blind is because she could basically panhandle as a blind person in China.
Tell us about that. What's going on there?
Yeah, I was actually was in India that she was five year old and she was a orphan already.
And one night while she was sleeping near Calcutta, India, her stepmother poured sulfuric acid into her eyes, trying to make her a blind orphan child who can sing on the street and therefore get more money from tourists.
And Kajal was maliciously blinded as such, but then they found that she could not sing.
She had no talent of singing.
That's why she was abandoned in a train station near Calcutta, India.
That's how we found her.
Our foundation brought her to America.
And the film Sight, released by Andrew Studios on May 24th, Memorial Day weekend.
Now it's on streaming service now, angio.com forward slash sight.
It's about Kajal's remarkable journey from darkness to light.
Yeah. Yeah. Wow.
Wow. All right. So tell me about, you know, in terms of this phenomenon where children are trying to be made blind.
I mean, this sounds really horrifying.
You know, we live out here in the United States.
The world's obviously very different.
We've heard about all sorts of things, for example, in Thailand.
Where sometimes children are, you know, encouraged to be, you know, getting into prostitution to help their families and a child is chosen.
Things that sound very foreign to us, that sound child abuse.
Tell me about this reality of what is happening in China with children and how they are used and abused.
Yeah, and in many countries, cajole happened in India, but in many developing countries, you know, similar things, horrible things happened.
Last year, NGO studio distributed film, Sound of Freedom, which is about human trafficking.
In some of these countries, in South America, in that case, people were trafficking these kids for money.
And so, you know, living in America, sometimes we forget how blessed we are living in a free country.
And the film side is about the message that reminds through the story of people who used to not have freedom being abused, And being maliciously blinded in this case, that really remind all of us here in America how blessed we are to live in a free country and how much we need to appreciate America by being more willing to work together.
You know, who appreciates sight the most?
Those who used to be blind, who appreciate freedom the most, those who used to not have freedom.
Society is about a film of someone who used to not have freedom and bring his story to America and remind all of us how blessed we are who are living in a country with freedom and faith and how much we need to appreciate America.
You were saying that you were atheist.
Tell me about that journey.
Was that because of the influence of where you grew up and the taking out of religion?
Tell me why you became atheist and tell me about how that changed.
Take us through your experience on finding God.
Yeah, as I mentioned, the film, God's Not Dead, in which a student from China came to America for freedom, but was an atheist.
Then his journey from atheist to a believer in that film, God's Not Dead, that Chinese student was based on my life story.
So I came to America, I fought against the Cultural Revolution in China, came to America, and finally found freedom in 1982 at age 21, with only $50 in the Chinese-English dictionary, knowing no one in this country could hardly speak English.
And it's interesting, even though I was poor, but I was happy because I was free.
And then I got my first doctor's degree in laser physics, a PhD.
Then it was in the study of my second doctor's degree, this time an MD from Harvard and MIT, where my faith journey began.
I was studying the structured human eye, And I found the eye so complicated.
It is simply not possible.
It can form out of randomness as atheists believe.
So I kept on asking a professor this question.
Finally, he took me out to lunch and he said, Ming, what's a cross street?
I said, that's a car. He said, what's the difference between a car and human eye?
I said, human eye is a lot more complicated.
He said, okay, can you imagine a pile of random pieces of metal assemble itself into a car?
I said, no way. He said, how about human eye?
So that's where I realized that the structure of human are so complicated but yet can form nearly perfectly most of the time is because it did not form all the randomness.
It was formed with a purpose and that purpose is for vision.
So I realized there's a creator but going from there Recognizing there's a creator, there's a designer, to eventually become a Christian, to recognize the creator has a name in Jesus Christ.
That took many more years, as detailed in my autobiography, From Darkness to Sight, which has eventually made into film sight now, co-starring Greg Kinnear.
Wow. Wow. Amazing.
Amazing. Tell us a little bit about the movie.
I mean, you know, obviously don't give too much away, but tell us, you know, the particulars of the movie, some of the most inspiring moments in the movie that you'd want to highlight.
Yes. The movie is called Sight.
It's based on my autobiography, From Darkness to Sight.
So it's about this journey, there are two parallel lines.
One is the journey from darkness to sight physically of Kijal, Maria, these blind orphan children of our sight foundation that we've been trying our best to help.
But also at the same time, a parallel journey from darkness to sight spiritually and emotionally for me as the eye doctor.
And I think one of the most interesting, unique aspect part of this movie is while trying to help cajole a child that intentionally blinded in India by her own stepmother, who pours sulfuric acid into her eyes, trying to make cajole a blind orphan child, who can sing on the street, who therefore can get more money from tourists.
I realized that cajole's eyes were completely scarred.
So in order to do research, to try and find out how can I reduce the scarring of cajuicis, I realized that the only person who does not scar is an unborn child.
And interesting, Van, for you and me, before birth, we all have this magical regenerative ability.
We can heal without scar.
And upon birth, we lose the ability.
So I started doing research, but how could you do research on a fetus without hurting the life of fetus?
You know, they say there's no common ground between faith and science.
Is that really true? And I started praying and I asked God, is there a common ground between science and faith?
And with my pastor, Dr.
Rice Brooks, we even wrote a book, Common Ground Bible Study.
And so in many mental sufferings that I was working with other scientists as well, an idea came that maybe perhaps the reason that the unborn child can heal without scar is because the placenta, the amniotic sac that surrounds each of us before birth.
So I went to hospitals and asked the mothers before giving birth to children, they said, you're going to throw away the placenta anyway afterwards?
Could I have it? So they said, yes, young man, you can have it.
We don't need a placenta anymore.
So I brought this bloody placenta back into the laboratory and started doing research.
And I invented the amniotic membrane placenta scarless healing contact lens.
Then when I put these contact lenses onto injured eyes, indeed, miracle happened.
The scars reduced and eyesight restored.
Then I asked myself, did I really invent the amniotic membrane contact lens?
I concluded, no, because I did not invent the placenta.
I did not invent the amniotic membrane.
God did. As a scientist, I was just privileged to be given by God an opportunity to catch a little glimpse of part of His original creation.
So I decided, you know, the credit goes to him.
So I donated my patent to the world of the amniotic membrane contact lens and I put a patent online and went around the world about 50 some countries taught over 10,000 eye doctors through a 20 year period how to use the amniotic membrane contact lens technology.
Today, a miyadi membrane contact lens is used by tens of thousands of eye doctors from nearly every nation, and millions of patients have had eyesight restored.
The technology has transformed the world, helped these blind orphaned children and many other patients.
And it's a $5 billion industry now, worldwide.
Even though some of my friends say, oh, me, you know, you're stupid.
You did not make any money in the process yourself.
I said, well, I'm not stupid because, number one, I did not really invent the M near the membrane contact lens because God did.
And I wanted to recognize that credit goes to where credit belongs.
I'm just privileged to have the opportunity to discover part of its original creation.
But also, I'm not stupid in donating the technology because I came to this country with nothing, only $50.
I'm so grateful to America to have given me the opportunity, to China to give me the grit, the determination, the tenaciousness, and to America.
A country that has given me not only freedom, but also, much more importantly, a faith in Christ.
Yeah. I mean, you know, people take a lot of Americans that are not first generation take all this for granted.
I mean, we hear stories like this from first generation immigrants, from people that didn't really grow up here and moved here after, you know, after their teens or whatever.
And they're horrified with what's happening because they actually have the objectivity of having lived in places where there's real tyranny.
And so is it horrifying to you that so many Americans seem to be fine with walking right into Marxism without really knowing what that means of really taking the freedom that we have here for granted?
Because you've experienced something very different.
What do you say to Americans that are blind?
I mean, blind, you know, good word, right?
They're blind to their freedoms over here.
Yeah, you know, it's a human nature that when we always have something, we do, as human beings, take for granted.
Living here in America, we always have had freedom and faith, and it's, you know, it's expected that some of us have taken for granted.
And people say, well, what are the symptoms of taking for grantedness here in America?
I said, symptoms is our unwillingness to work together, to rebuild this country.
You know, America is a nation that attracts people from all over the world, immigrants, including myself, because of two cornerstones.
One is the freedom guaranteed by Constitution, and second is faith provided by the Bible.
So we should not forget these two founding blocks of our great nation, America.
And we need to restore America to what it is, and we need to let people know that there's...
Don't be enamored by those, you know, socialism, communism, because there's something even more important and precious than things free, that is freedom.
Wow, wow. Alright, so were you going to say something?
Sorry. No, I was just saying that Sight is a film, almost like it's a film by someone who used to be blind, with all of Americans today, how precious Sight is.
Sight is a freedom, but for someone who used to not have freedom to share with Americans today, how precious freedom is, and how much we need to appreciate freedom by being more willing to work together to find that common ground.
Yes, yes. Now, there's a book that I read called Red Market, right?
Red Market was about, in India, how people that are poor, you know, you have the caste system there, right?
People that are in the lower caste were literally selling their organs for money.
That's what Red Market is about.
It's about people selling their organs, and, you know, off of one organ...
With the amount of money they get, they might be able to live comfortably for a year or so.
These are certain realities that are happening around the world.
Americans don't think about selling their organs so they could feed themselves.
Create a little bit of a juxtaposition about what you know about the world and this sort of thing, where the rest of the world is actually very different than really the excess that we have here, the freedoms that we have here, the consumer culture that we have here, the access to funds that we have here.
Yeah, it is very challenging actually, Van, that how do we appreciate something we always have had, freedom and faith, and how do we understand and truly feel the pain and suffering of those two-thirds of the world, people still do not have freedom and faith.
And then, you know, it's hard to, you know, when somebody tell about it or, you know, read a little bit about it.
And I always tell all of my fellow Americans, travel.
to experience those third world countries to work there to help in our case help those blind orphan children from around the world most of them from third world countries but also when whenever there's a film like this site pops up that gives you an opportunity to feel to experience a little bit about the sufferings of folks in these other countries And take advantage of this opportunity.
See a film like Sight, like Sound of Freedom, and to experience it, particularly our next generation, the children that grew up in this country, has always had reasonably comfortable living here in America, and it's hard for them to develop the perspective and experience.
So my answer is go to see Sight and a film like that, like Sight, like Sound of Freedom, so that you can get a taste Feel what it's like to live in those countries without freedom.
My last question for now and I'll give you the mic after this for any closing statements.
In terms of the Realities you've seen around the world, right?
What would your advice be to Americans?
If you were to give like three points of advice from what your eyes have seen and what you've experienced, what would that be to Americans that might not know actually what's on the other side of the ocean?
Yes. I think the best thing to do is experience it.
Because we as human beings, we cannot learn by just being taught or just read the books or someone tells us what we should do.
Recognizing that we are so blessed living in America, a country with freedom and faith.
And to do two things.
One is travel to these countries to make friends with folks in these other parts of the world and to see film like sight and the sound of freedom to experience a little bit the pain of loss of freedom and joy of regaining their freedom.
But also, not only doing that internationally, outside the United States, making friends, experience other countries, people suffering, but also here in America, here, we have a lot to do also to appreciate what we have.
You see, we are becoming a nation today here in America.
It's so increasingly polarized.
We're so increasingly unable to work across political hours, racial divides, and ethnic divisions.
We're so increasingly unable to really solve the problems that we are facing as a nation, you know, opioid crisis, gun violence, environmental disasters, poverty, education, jobs, racial tension, economy, and healthcare. And so we need to recognize that we, Yes, we're different, different race, ethnicities, and different nationalities, but we Americans, we can work together despite the differences.
We can love each other despite the differences.
We can work together, Ken. Again, you reunite America to restore America.
And the people say, you mean the reason that we're so polarized today as a nation, so divided, is because we forgot how blessed we are living in America.
That's why we need to film the site to remind us the blessing.
My answer is correct.
That's precisely The lack of appreciation of America is the root cause of our unprecedented polarization and division.
It's like marriage. If one does not appreciate marriage, when you have problems, husband and wife, they can shout and yell and hurt each other's feelings.
But if they do appreciate marriage, even though it's the same difference, they're more likely to say, you know, honey, we're different on this thing, but don't we have so much else in common?
So the fundamental reason we're so divided as a nation, we cannot come together.
We forgot how blessed we are living in America.
And we can re-appreciate America, not by just saying it, but actually doing it.
And the action, proving that we do love this country, is are we willing to restore America to its two fundamental building blocks, the Constitution and the Bible, by being more willing to work together again Work through our differences, love each other despite the differences, and put the interest of the nation and God above everything else.
Wow, very powerful.
I really appreciate it, Dr.
Wang. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
The mic is all yours, website, social media, let us know it all.
Yeah, I would say probably two things.
Probably two things. One is we have a site foundation to help blind orphan children.
And if anybody who is interested in supporting or get a copy of my signed autobiography, they can visit wangfoundation.com and we will mail a signed autobiography by which the movie site is based on.
and all the proceeds goes to support the foundation and to help these blind orphan children and all their surgeries are free of charge including the technology amniotic membrane contact lens so winefoundation.com Second, the film site is on streaming now it's on angio.com forward slash site s-i-g-h-t and I think it's for like $12 you can start streaming the film site at home Let's bring this film with the message of freedom and faith to America.
It is so much more powerful and more meaningful film than most of the film we see in theaters today.
Sex, violence, drugs, sci-fi, cartoon, all these dark films.
Sight has a message, and has a message that America needs the most, that in an unprecedented divided nation, we need to have a vision, a sight, to realize that at least for all the Christians, it doesn't matter if you're black, white, African, Latino, Latin Americans, that our ultimate common ground is Jesus Christ.
I love it. I love it.
Thank you so much, Dr.
Wang, for coming on to the Blood Money Podcast.
And for the viewers out there, make sure you go to AmericaHappens.com, where we have our episodes posted on a daily basis.
Very soon, by the way, we are going to be on television.
It's really cool. We're going to be on Roku.
We're going to be on Amazon Fire.
We're going to be on Google. We're going to be on Apple TV. So stay tuned on that.
Make sure you check out AmericaHappens.com.
To make sure you see the updates, we'll have our links to our channels over there.
Thank you so much, Dr.
Wang, for coming to this episode, and I will see you all on the next episode of Blood Money.
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