Our last clinic day was Thursday, 12/11. We worked quickly through this last day and learned that we helped nearly 17,000 patients over the course of our 7 days of clinic. It was hard for us to say goodbye to the people of Poza Rica and our volunteers. One sweet young student asked me if we would be coming back. With a catch in my throat I answered she would probably be a married lady by the time another team returned to Poza Rica.
With mixed feelings we boarded the bus to return to the city of Veracruz. We felt happy for all of the great experiences: giving eyeglasses to people and providing sight for the 1st time in their lives, catching life-threatening conditions and making friends for life. But we also felt sad for the people we were unable to help and the new friendships which would soon be relegated to email and Facebook.
Our last bonding experience occured that evening in Veracruz at our pinning ceremony. The pinning ceremony is when we receive our commemorative pin for the mission and share memories with our team. It was very moving and sealed our friendships for years to come.
I wish that I could fully convey to you how special this trip was for us as a team. For many it was life changing. For me, it was life affirming. It affirmed to me that each of us has the ability to change a life. I may not have the ability to go on a mission every year but I now believe in my ability and obligation to impact lives where I am.
On behalf of our team, I'd like to thank our families for supporting us and giving us the freedom to spend this time in Mexico. I'd also like to thank our co-workers for covering our share of the work while we were gone. And thank you all for following our blog. I hope that you've enjoyed hearing about our mission adventure and feel moved to participate in One Sight in the future.
Until we meet again...Darlene R. and Team Mexico
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
We Can't Help Everyone
Today, Wednesday 12/10, was an especially hard day for our doctors.
So, far they have helped alot of people to see and caught life threatening cases of high blood pressure, diabetes and a detached retina. They are able to refer these patients on for future care from local doctors and feel confident that the outcome will be positive. But today, our young optometrist, Dr. Nishil P. (Dr. Nish) was hit hard by two special patients. The first patient was brought in by her young daughter. As Dr. Nish examined the mother he noticed that her nerve endings were white, which meant they were dead and would not rejuvenate to allow sight. Dr. Nish knew this lady was destined for a lifetime without sight. When the young daughter asked if her mother could have an operation to restore her sight, Dr. Nish was forced to reply that the mother would never see again. As the daughter broke down into tears, Dr. Nish couldn't help but shed a few tears himself. The tears continued to flow as Dr. Nish's next patient was also blind.
Those of us who are not doctors cannot fully understand the impact that these experiences are having on our doctors. These docs have gone to school and dedicated their lives to preventing the conditions they see here in Mexico. The cataracts, painful infections, growths and blindness could be easily prevented in the States, but here a fact of life. Dr. Rose said that we team members see the end affect on the patient's ability to see, but the doctor see the affect inside of the eye. They can see the future negatives waiting down the road for patients who are seeing well today. It's hard for them to know that the best they can offer is a pair of sunglasses and the chance for a future cataract operation by local docs.
Dr. George said that it's normal for us all to shed tears over the patients of Mexico because they have really touched our hearts. Dr. Rose felt this personal impact as she examined a family of Indian patients. The family had a genetic condition which caused them all to have extremely poor vision. They were nearly all legally blind. She felt a special connection to these patients because of her Cherokee heritage. As she looked at this family she noticed that they didn't have shoes and that even the children had missing and rotted teeth. She learned that the native Indian population is often viewed as "untouchable". They are viewed my many as being of the lowest class. When she introduced herself as a doctor of Indian heritage, their eyes grew wide. When she hugged them, they smiled and wished her blessings. Their eyes followed her as she moved about the clinic and they smiled the whole time. She later learned that these people aren't used to be touched, spoken to with respect or smiled upon. And in one day, they were touched by an American Indian doctor, received eye exams and eyeglasses. It was truly a day that would impact all for them for life.
Thank you all for supporting One Sight and creating moments like these.
So, far they have helped alot of people to see and caught life threatening cases of high blood pressure, diabetes and a detached retina. They are able to refer these patients on for future care from local doctors and feel confident that the outcome will be positive. But today, our young optometrist, Dr. Nishil P. (Dr. Nish) was hit hard by two special patients. The first patient was brought in by her young daughter. As Dr. Nish examined the mother he noticed that her nerve endings were white, which meant they were dead and would not rejuvenate to allow sight. Dr. Nish knew this lady was destined for a lifetime without sight. When the young daughter asked if her mother could have an operation to restore her sight, Dr. Nish was forced to reply that the mother would never see again. As the daughter broke down into tears, Dr. Nish couldn't help but shed a few tears himself. The tears continued to flow as Dr. Nish's next patient was also blind.
Those of us who are not doctors cannot fully understand the impact that these experiences are having on our doctors. These docs have gone to school and dedicated their lives to preventing the conditions they see here in Mexico. The cataracts, painful infections, growths and blindness could be easily prevented in the States, but here a fact of life. Dr. Rose said that we team members see the end affect on the patient's ability to see, but the doctor see the affect inside of the eye. They can see the future negatives waiting down the road for patients who are seeing well today. It's hard for them to know that the best they can offer is a pair of sunglasses and the chance for a future cataract operation by local docs.
Dr. George said that it's normal for us all to shed tears over the patients of Mexico because they have really touched our hearts. Dr. Rose felt this personal impact as she examined a family of Indian patients. The family had a genetic condition which caused them all to have extremely poor vision. They were nearly all legally blind. She felt a special connection to these patients because of her Cherokee heritage. As she looked at this family she noticed that they didn't have shoes and that even the children had missing and rotted teeth. She learned that the native Indian population is often viewed as "untouchable". They are viewed my many as being of the lowest class. When she introduced herself as a doctor of Indian heritage, their eyes grew wide. When she hugged them, they smiled and wished her blessings. Their eyes followed her as she moved about the clinic and they smiled the whole time. She later learned that these people aren't used to be touched, spoken to with respect or smiled upon. And in one day, they were touched by an American Indian doctor, received eye exams and eyeglasses. It was truly a day that would impact all for them for life.
Thank you all for supporting One Sight and creating moments like these.
Celebrity Treatment in Poza Rica
Well yesterday, Tuesday 12/ 9, was another great day of clinic. We say 3,200 patients and everyone moved through very smoothly. Many of our favorite volunteers from Tuxpan have followed us to Poza Rica and we have another great new crew of students and DIF workers as well. Many patients and volunteers are capturing the moment with us on film. We have also been featured in the local newspaper several times.
Tonight we were honored by DIF and the Lions club and enjoyed a great dinner and a Mariachi band. During dinner several team members were interviewed by local TV which added extra excitement to our visit. Everyone here has been so welcoming and open in showing their appreciation to us. We really enjoyed the party and Dr. Hal set the pace by hitting the dance floor with flair!
Looking forward to another day at the clinic tommorrow.
Tonight we were honored by DIF and the Lions club and enjoyed a great dinner and a Mariachi band. During dinner several team members were interviewed by local TV which added extra excitement to our visit. Everyone here has been so welcoming and open in showing their appreciation to us. We really enjoyed the party and Dr. Hal set the pace by hitting the dance floor with flair!
Looking forward to another day at the clinic tommorrow.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Moving on to Poza Rica
Hello Everyone,
So much to say, so little time. Time really does fly when you are having fun as we have learned during our clinic. When we are really busy with our patients we pay no attention to the time, but when things get slow, then we start counting the number of people in line and estimating our end time.
We have all been really busy having fun and doing alot of good. On Saturday we packed up the clinic so that all the materials could be shipped to Poza Rica. Poza Rica is another town within the state of VeraCruz. After that job was done, then we had the most delicious seafood lunch in a nearby town, called La Nueva Restaurante de Veracruz. We enjoyed gigantic shrimp, oysters, crab, fish and more. The restaurant owner was even kind enough to give us souveniers, ashtrays made out of oyster shells, so cute!
On Sunday, we set the clinic up in El Gymnasio Munipicial (The Municipal Gymnasium). The off we went to visit the ruins called El Tajin. These are the ancient grounds of the Tajin people. The grounds were beautiful, well maintained and included a market place for shopping and souveniers. So, if our friends and family have been good while we've been away, you may receive an authenic item from El Tajin!
Well, that's all for now. We'll bring you up to speed on our first two clinic days in Poza Rica. Off we go to Lions Club dinner. They have been so good to us!
Thanks for following along.
So much to say, so little time. Time really does fly when you are having fun as we have learned during our clinic. When we are really busy with our patients we pay no attention to the time, but when things get slow, then we start counting the number of people in line and estimating our end time.
We have all been really busy having fun and doing alot of good. On Saturday we packed up the clinic so that all the materials could be shipped to Poza Rica. Poza Rica is another town within the state of VeraCruz. After that job was done, then we had the most delicious seafood lunch in a nearby town, called La Nueva Restaurante de Veracruz. We enjoyed gigantic shrimp, oysters, crab, fish and more. The restaurant owner was even kind enough to give us souveniers, ashtrays made out of oyster shells, so cute!
On Sunday, we set the clinic up in El Gymnasio Munipicial (The Municipal Gymnasium). The off we went to visit the ruins called El Tajin. These are the ancient grounds of the Tajin people. The grounds were beautiful, well maintained and included a market place for shopping and souveniers. So, if our friends and family have been good while we've been away, you may receive an authenic item from El Tajin!
Well, that's all for now. We'll bring you up to speed on our first two clinic days in Poza Rica. Off we go to Lions Club dinner. They have been so good to us!
Thanks for following along.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Poza Rica Clinic
Our first day in Poza Rica started off a little slowly. There were some long pauses between groups, but it gave us an opportunity to become acclimated to the new space and set up. While waiting for groups, we have the opportunity to consider the quality of our inventory and condition of our donated eyeglasses. Here in Poza Rica, the majority of many of the patients have a low minus prescription with a +1 or +2 bifocal add, and we quickly begin running low on these prescriptions. To compensate, we begin to distribute two pairs of reading glasses instead. One pair for distance and one for reading. The people are thrilled to receive two pairs of glasses instead of one. But we would much prefer to offer them a pair of bifocals that can do both jobs. On future missions to this area, inventory will be pulled specifically to meet the prescription needs of the local population.
We could really use your help in this area. Please encourage your friends and family to donate their used glasses. The more glasses we receive, the better we can meet the needs of these people.
We worked really hard today, and played just as hard in the evening. Tonight we had our auction to raise money for future One Sight missions. And guess what? We were super luckey to have Gary on our team. Gary is a team member from Austrialia. In addition to his day job as a sales manager for a medical device company, he is also a professional auctioneer. Who woulda thunk it?
First we had our silent auction and team members went crazy bidding for choice items like an authenic Cherokee Eye Chart, T-shirts signed by the team, Sunglasses, and original art work. Then Gary rocked the house during the Live Auction. The silent and live auction together raised nearly $4,000 for One Sight! Wow! When combined with the $4,300 raised prior to the mission, we are at $8,300 and closing in fast on our $10,000 goal. Thanks to all who have contributed, friends, family, co-workers and vendor partners. This is truly a great way to end the year! I'll keep you updated on the tally and feel free to contribute on the One Sight website to Team Mexico-December 2008.
Thanks for reading.
We could really use your help in this area. Please encourage your friends and family to donate their used glasses. The more glasses we receive, the better we can meet the needs of these people.
We worked really hard today, and played just as hard in the evening. Tonight we had our auction to raise money for future One Sight missions. And guess what? We were super luckey to have Gary on our team. Gary is a team member from Austrialia. In addition to his day job as a sales manager for a medical device company, he is also a professional auctioneer. Who woulda thunk it?
First we had our silent auction and team members went crazy bidding for choice items like an authenic Cherokee Eye Chart, T-shirts signed by the team, Sunglasses, and original art work. Then Gary rocked the house during the Live Auction. The silent and live auction together raised nearly $4,000 for One Sight! Wow! When combined with the $4,300 raised prior to the mission, we are at $8,300 and closing in fast on our $10,000 goal. Thanks to all who have contributed, friends, family, co-workers and vendor partners. This is truly a great way to end the year! I'll keep you updated on the tally and feel free to contribute on the One Sight website to Team Mexico-December 2008.
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Last Day in Tuxpan
Today, Friday 12/4, was our last clinic day in Tuxpan and what a day!
Clinic
1st Sight: A beautiful young mother with a -15 Eyeglasses Prescription held her 9 month old baby as we placed her 1st pair of eyeglasses on her eyes. She stood still for a moment and then her eyes opened wide and she just grinned at us all. Her little baby looked up at her with eyes open wide and she looked back. This time with new sight. We advised her to wear the new glasses for a few hours each day. She rewarded us all with hugs.
Phuong Leaves Us: One of our valued team members, Phong Nguyen representing Essilor Lenses from Australia, had to leave us today. He joined our team for the first week prior continuing on with his business travels. We were so fortunate to have him for this week. He has such a bright spirit and calm, giving personality. Phuong jumped right into whatever was needed i.e. finding glasses using our IMS system, dispensing eyewear to our new friends here in Tuxpan and giving us all support when needed most.
Volunteer Appreciation: After clinic tonight we had so much fun showing appreciation to the 40+ volunteers that helped us. These wonderful people of Tuxpan did so much. We had local high school students, police and firefighters, local Lions Club members, Church leaders and others who managed the set up and organization of this mission from start to finish. As a token of our appreciation, we gave them all eye exams, glasses if needed, sunglasses and small gifts. Without them there was no way we could have conducted this clinic. Thank You EveryOne!
Tuxpan Shows Great Love: After clinic we were hosted by the mayor, Ing. Juan Ramon Ganem Vargas, and his lovely wife, Profra. Julieta Sanchez DeGanem, at a local restaurant. When I first met the mayor he was working along side us, just like any other volunteer and I was surprised to learn of his position. This early introduction was insight into the way that he leads this city. He and his wife did so much to ensure everything was perfect for us. From 5 star meals at lunch each day to tonight's evening of music with 3 bands including a full Mariachi band at dinner. They showed appreciated for the local leaders of DIF Municipall Tuxpan, The Lion's Club of Veracruz and our team. They personally greeted each of our 33 team members and presented certificates of appreciation and gifts. The mayors wife showed her deep feelings as she thanked us for our efforts. It was obvious that months had been spent planning for our arrival and success here in Tuxpan. As a result of these efforts, there are plans in place to provide 15,000 Veracruz residents with cataract surgery to alleviate this common disorder and improve the lives of people in this area. If all city leaders showed the kind of heart we saw here this week, the world would be a better place.
Today, Saturday December 6th, is our day off so stay tuned for news as we explore the Aztec Ruins here in Tuxpan!
Clinic
1st Sight: A beautiful young mother with a -15 Eyeglasses Prescription held her 9 month old baby as we placed her 1st pair of eyeglasses on her eyes. She stood still for a moment and then her eyes opened wide and she just grinned at us all. Her little baby looked up at her with eyes open wide and she looked back. This time with new sight. We advised her to wear the new glasses for a few hours each day. She rewarded us all with hugs.
Phuong Leaves Us: One of our valued team members, Phong Nguyen representing Essilor Lenses from Australia, had to leave us today. He joined our team for the first week prior continuing on with his business travels. We were so fortunate to have him for this week. He has such a bright spirit and calm, giving personality. Phuong jumped right into whatever was needed i.e. finding glasses using our IMS system, dispensing eyewear to our new friends here in Tuxpan and giving us all support when needed most.
Volunteer Appreciation: After clinic tonight we had so much fun showing appreciation to the 40+ volunteers that helped us. These wonderful people of Tuxpan did so much. We had local high school students, police and firefighters, local Lions Club members, Church leaders and others who managed the set up and organization of this mission from start to finish. As a token of our appreciation, we gave them all eye exams, glasses if needed, sunglasses and small gifts. Without them there was no way we could have conducted this clinic. Thank You EveryOne!
Tuxpan Shows Great Love: After clinic we were hosted by the mayor, Ing. Juan Ramon Ganem Vargas, and his lovely wife, Profra. Julieta Sanchez DeGanem, at a local restaurant. When I first met the mayor he was working along side us, just like any other volunteer and I was surprised to learn of his position. This early introduction was insight into the way that he leads this city. He and his wife did so much to ensure everything was perfect for us. From 5 star meals at lunch each day to tonight's evening of music with 3 bands including a full Mariachi band at dinner. They showed appreciated for the local leaders of DIF Municipall Tuxpan, The Lion's Club of Veracruz and our team. They personally greeted each of our 33 team members and presented certificates of appreciation and gifts. The mayors wife showed her deep feelings as she thanked us for our efforts. It was obvious that months had been spent planning for our arrival and success here in Tuxpan. As a result of these efforts, there are plans in place to provide 15,000 Veracruz residents with cataract surgery to alleviate this common disorder and improve the lives of people in this area. If all city leaders showed the kind of heart we saw here this week, the world would be a better place.
Today, Saturday December 6th, is our day off so stay tuned for news as we explore the Aztec Ruins here in Tuxpan!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
A Gift for Us
Hello Again, Today is Thursday, December 4th and today our team received many more gifts than we gave through Give the Gift of Sight. You may wonder what I mean since we are here to Give Sight right? True enough but today, we received the wonder of receiving 2,530 smiles from the patients we helped through One Sight! That's right 2,530. The number alone is staggering. So imagine if you can the enormity of the task. There were times today, when I really didn't know if our team would make it through. The people just kept coming and coming.
There were were at least 500 people just starting the process of registering and standing in line at 6PM. And then there was the rain. Buckets of rain that started pouring down at noon. But those people did not budge. And you know what? We didn't either. The more we gave to them, the more they gave back. Sylvia received the most amazing smile, hug, thank you and fruit from a lady that was so grateful. Sylvia was so full of emotion, the tears flowed faster than the rain.
Another lady, gave me a hug and spoke quickly with great urgency as she turned to go. I asked the translator what she said and I was told "I know I will see you on the other side". It took me a moment to realize that this elderly lady meant in heaven and as I realized the meaning of her words I was a bit stunned. To think that the 5 minutes it took me to provide her with sight meant so much to her.
Yet another elderly lady said "My sight is my world". She uses her glasses to read letters from her children in the states. They are her lifeline and her only connection to them.
There were little children with Down's Syndrome. I paused a moment to consider the challenges for such children in the U.S. where we have so much, and here they have so little.
And finally there was a woman with a -25 prescription, which means she has very little sight, who had never worn glasses before in her life. We were only able to match her with a -15 but those glasses were such a tremendous help that she was speechless upon receiving them and so happy.
At dinner this evening at 8:30 PM, the group looked so tired, but when asked to share their stories from the day we all perked up to share stores about what the day meant to them. Tonight are hearts are full and we look forward to tomorrow, our last clinic day in Tuxpan. More to come, thanks for reading our blog.-Darlene R.
There were were at least 500 people just starting the process of registering and standing in line at 6PM. And then there was the rain. Buckets of rain that started pouring down at noon. But those people did not budge. And you know what? We didn't either. The more we gave to them, the more they gave back. Sylvia received the most amazing smile, hug, thank you and fruit from a lady that was so grateful. Sylvia was so full of emotion, the tears flowed faster than the rain.
Another lady, gave me a hug and spoke quickly with great urgency as she turned to go. I asked the translator what she said and I was told "I know I will see you on the other side". It took me a moment to realize that this elderly lady meant in heaven and as I realized the meaning of her words I was a bit stunned. To think that the 5 minutes it took me to provide her with sight meant so much to her.
Yet another elderly lady said "My sight is my world". She uses her glasses to read letters from her children in the states. They are her lifeline and her only connection to them.
There were little children with Down's Syndrome. I paused a moment to consider the challenges for such children in the U.S. where we have so much, and here they have so little.
And finally there was a woman with a -25 prescription, which means she has very little sight, who had never worn glasses before in her life. We were only able to match her with a -15 but those glasses were such a tremendous help that she was speechless upon receiving them and so happy.
At dinner this evening at 8:30 PM, the group looked so tired, but when asked to share their stories from the day we all perked up to share stores about what the day meant to them. Tonight are hearts are full and we look forward to tomorrow, our last clinic day in Tuxpan. More to come, thanks for reading our blog.-Darlene R.
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