SRW Accomplishments

EYEGLASSES BRIGADE — 2014

By Lorena Gonzalez
Teacher at La Providencia School in Siguatepeque, Honduras

It was a wonderful experience for me to translate for this brigade with Dr. David Gamm. It was a time of service, learning, and joy, and I also had so much fun putting drops in the patients' eyes. They jokingly told me I was the "bad guy" because the drops stung a little! It was especially fun when the patients called me "Doctor!" This experience opened my eyes to the beauty of simple blessings. I also appreciate that I was able to receive a professional and thorough eye exam, which far exceeded the level of care I had experienced with a private physician here. I truly admire Dr. Gamm's professionalism. He took time to examine each patient carefully and showed great care in explaining each eye problem to the patient or parent.

One common concern among the patients was that they could not read their Bibles because they could not see the letters. Many patients were excited and grateful to be able to read again with their new glasses. It gave me great joy to see children and young people receive prosthetic eyes and to witness the ways this changed their appearance, confidence, and outlook.

Overall, I feel that this brigade changed my way of thinking and helped me value the blessing of healthy eyes. I am filled with joy knowing that people who had never had the money to buy a pair of glasses were able to receive this life-changing gift — the ability to read the Bible again. Since this brigade, I am not the same. It has changed my point of view about life and about vision, especially after seeing patients, even babies, who were close to losing the only eye they had left because of retinoblastoma (a childhood eye cancer). I am deeply thankful that I was part of this brigade, and I am grateful for this group of doctors and for all the people who invest their time and money to help those in need.

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