Blind Saskatoon yoga instructor looking to regain sight through stem cell treatment

A Saskatoon yoga instructor who willtravel to Thailand for stem cell treatment to restore his lost sight says it's a strugglefor himto receivethe support and money that's been raised on his behalf to cover his expenses.

"I'm forever grateful," said Kevin Naidoo of the support and almost $10,000 that has been raised for him on a GoFundMewebpage set up by his partner, Andrea Kehler.

"Itreally means the world to me. It's hard for me to receive, and I have been learning to deal with it."

Kehler said the quick response indicates Naidoo'simpact on the community.

"I think there's a lot of people out there waiting to just offer something back to him after he's helped them so much. So it's been wonderful just to watch that exchange happen," she said.

Despite losing his vision entirely in his left eye and losing his peripheral vision in his right eye, Naidoocalledhis work to regain his vision "an adventure."

The 39-year-old teaches yoga across Canada and also has a Saskatoon yoga studio that overlooks the city's downtown area. In 2014, he wasdiagnosed with open angularglaucoma, which has reduced his vision to "pretty much 50 per cent of my right eye," he said.

As part of his efforts to regain his sight, Naidooandhis Kehler began looking into stem cell research and eventually found a company in China that produces stem cells for treating cases of glaucoma like Naidoo's.

The actual treatment and procedure takes place in Bangkok, Thailand.Naidoo has been accepted as a candidate for the procedure, which will happen from April 7-22.

• Saskatoon yoga instructor Kevin Naidoo fighting to save his vision

The cost for the treatment is $30,000, according to Kehler and stem cell treatments aren't coveredin Canada.

To help cover the costs of the treatment, his flights and his studio fees, Kehlerstarted a GoFundMe page for Naidoo, a campaign that's raised $9,631 in 10 days.