SRW Accomplishments

HOW TO IMPROVE 100 LIVES A DAY

By Mary Dowling and Sylvia Boomsma

On a cold January morning in 2016, an SRW team departed Madison airport for our third eyeglass mission to Honduras at the Providence World Ministries (PWM) John Eaves Clinic. All team members were from the Madison Area.

Our two ophthalmologists, Drs. David Gamm and Neil Lucchese, were veterans who had served on many mission teams organized by SRW. We had told the PWM staff physician, Dr. Bertha Turcios, to have 100 eye patients per day for us to examine. She arranged for different local communities and churches to bring these patients in each day by bus. The day after our arrival, exams began.

In five and a half days, we examined 578 adults and children. Five of those children will receive surgery from a future team to correct strabismus(crossed eyes). Fifteen children needed glasses — a need which SRW commits to meet for every child diagnosed by an eyeglass mission team. 492 people received one or more pairs of eyeglasses to correct their vision... and to vastly improve their lives, enabling them to contribute to the good of their communities and families.

Thank you to Bonnie V. and Kim L. for their talent and patience in running the optical shop portion of the mission. Thanks to Lions Clubs of Wisconsin for the recycled eyeglasses we were able to give our clients. And thank you to local La Providencia School students, aged 12-18, who served as our interpreters for the week in all areas. PWM staff's wonderful arrangements enable us to see the maximum number of patients and to ensure that our equipment and supplies are available for our use. Our partnership with them — and with you, our supporters — is essential to our ability to carry out these missions.

Team members were:
David Gamm, MD
Neil Lucchese, MD
Mary Dowling, RN
Pat Kreibich, RN
Lynn Lucchese, Soto Assistant
Bonnie Verges, Optician
Kim Leanna, Optician
Gary Haefer, Biomedical Engineer

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