June 3, 2011

Day 11: And the winners are…. 10,654 patients!

By gbertuzzo

...and all good things come to an end. Today was the last day at our clinic, a bitter-sweet day for us all volunteers.

We started at our usual time, knowing this would have been a hard day both for the number of patients and for the packing we needed to do. Most of the patients were kids, and this definately helped in keeping the spirits up. In fact we all started to feel a bit sad that this adventure was coming to an end.

Overall, in the 10 days of clinic we visited and donated eyewear to 10, 654 people...600+ more than originally planned. I don't want to brag...BUT WE ROCK!!!

After taking care of the last patient, we immediately started to pack everything up. Some of the materials will go back to the office in Cincinnati, others will go straight to another mission and we wanted to make sure that all will be ready and neatly packed for the next group of volunteers. It was not easy task, but we were done pretty quickly....and happy to find at the end cold drinks offered by our local partners: the Rotary Club, the Devlyn foundation, DIF and the Department of Health. They all honored OneSight and our team with a closing ceremony. Gifts and thanks were shared, as well as hugs and promises to keep in touch. Tons of pictures were taken...by us and of us.. almost as if we were celebrities. All volunteers were gifted with a handcrafted souvenir of Puebla.

The time to part came very soon, and as we arrived we were ready to board the bus from the clinic for the last time.

As this is our last post...or ..well, no...not yet.  Please come back next week for the final piece to officially close this blog. A lot of things to be said, memories and emotions to be shared...but some time is needed before that to let everything sink in a bit.

Meanwhile, we are off for an evening of goodbyes, and tomorrow our journey back home!

Hasta luego Puebla! y muchas gracias OneSight!

 

 

Chiara Bernardi assisting a girl with special needs. Looking at the girl's smile, Chiara must have done a great job!
Chrissy Hamann with a handsome young man...nice sunglasses by the way!
Joanne King styling a girl with some vintage frames..
Martha Skokowski and our local partner doctor being silly after the official closure of the clinic
Our clinic director Leona Dockery with representatives of The Rotary Club, Devlyn Foundation, DIF and the Department of Health during the closing ceremony.
The team resting in the break room after the end of the day. This is where we had our meetings and lunch every day. What you see on the table is NOT wine, NOR tequila NOR beer... ;)
A young patient being helped by Shannon Stamper
Steve Pfaeffle (clinic coordinator) with representatives of our local partners during the closing ceremony

1 Comment

  1. Jennifer Goossen says:

    To Sandra Tease.  Congratulations on “mission completed”. You and your coworkers have helped thousands of people!!! and if you add in those peoples families who are also positively affected, the numbers just keep going up and up.  I feel so proud of you and your colleagues I could burst!! Love Jennifer

    Posted on Sat Jun 4, 2011 9:54 am EST

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