May 28, 2011

OneSight Mexico day 4: have you ever met 1,200+ kids in one day? we have! (English/Italian)

By gbertuzzo

QUESTION: what will a kid wearing eyewear for the first time do, upon slipping on a pair?

A) look astonished and stare at his/her hands..he/she has never seen them before

B) Simply say: I CAN SEE!

C) smile with the pure joy of whmo has received the gift of sight

D) all of the above

The right answer is D, and these are only a few examples of the reactions and emotions that filled our day number 3. More than 1,200 kids from 23 local schools visited our clinic today, setting a very unique environment for the volunteers. Kids from 8 to 12 years old (but some were definately much younger) were examined by our doctors, and received where applicable a pair of optical and of sun. Many of them never wore a pair before, and truly marveled at what might have seemed to them a little miracle! Many of them wer confident, other were nervous and maybe a bit scared... but they all behaved very bravely while going through medical examination and eyewear fitting. Working with kids is way different than working with adults, but all volunteers did a great job in making them confortable and relaxed...Overall they were all excited for the small trip, but we were all excited about how this can change their life: they will be able to read the blackboard, study more easily..and become accomplished men and women. You can find a few pictures in the image gallery, samples of today´s adventure. Every pair of eyes is important, but let' be honest: when those eyes have an entire life in front of them, it put the work into a different prespective!

At the end of the day, the team was "set free" for the evening, and several groups went out on their own to the city. We might have some updates tomorrow..but most likely what happens in Puebla, stays in Puebla!

Hasta manana!_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Oggi hanno visitato la nostra clinica piu' di 1,200 bambini provenienti da 23 scuole locali, creando una atmosfera piuttosto inusuale. I nostri dottori hanno visitato studenti tra gli 8 e i 12 anni (anche se molti erano ben piu´piccoli) prescrivendo occhiali da vista, quando necessario. Molti di loro non avevano mai indossato un paio di occhiali prima d'ora, e sono rimasti meravigliato a quello che dever essere sembrato loro un piccolo miracolo. Alcuni erano sicuri di se, altri un po' nervosi, altri ancora un po' impauriti.... ma tutti hanno dimostrato un gran coraggio sia durante la visita medica che durante la distribuzione degli occhiali. Avere a che fare con bambini e´molto diverso che trattare con gli adulti, ma tutti i volontari hanno fatto del loro meglio per metterli a proprio agio. Se loro erano entusiasti per la "gita fuori porta", noi lo eravamo ancora di piu' per il cambiamento che potenzialmente questo potrebbe portare nelle loro vite. Saranno infatti in grado di vedere la lavagna, studiare con piu' facilita' e diventare adulti realizzati. Le immagini qui sotto valgono piu' di mille parole. Gli occhi sono importanti per tutti, ma siamo onesti: questi bambini hanno tutta una vita davanti a loro!

A fine giornata, la serata e' stata libera per tutti i volontari, passata a gustare le prelibatezze locali nel centro storico di Puebla.

A domani!

Dr Neil Roberts and Martha Skokowski with a pretty young lady
Precision is fundamental: Martha Skokowski didn't loose a bit while measuring pupils distance
Clear vision is important, but so it is to protect our eyes from UVA and UVB rays. These kids clearly got it!
Dr William (Bill) Bescoby visiting a young patient
Tamara Koeller testing visual acuity at the dispensing table

5 Comments

  1. Barbara Roberts says:

    Hi Son, I cannot find words for my tears.  Seeing those wonderful people receiving help for their sight by your hands has touched my heart.  It is wonderful having Ev here so that we can see what is going on in your life everyday, and especially when I see YOU in the pictures.  Have a great day today!

    Posted on Sat May 28, 2011 9:56 am EST

  2. Cathy Leindecker says:

    Hi Leah Harris and all, wow, you are changing the lives of these people!! May God Bless your efforts and may my angels continue to watch over you and your whole group. I love you!!

    Posted on Sat May 28, 2011 3:37 pm EST

  3. Mason Roberts says:

    Missing you Dad, fun to see you in pictures! I’m having fun pretending I’m in Mexico too.

    Posted on Sat May 28, 2011 4:21 pm EST

  4. Connie Moore says:

    Dr. Thompson.  We are all thinking about you and your team and I know how rewarding this has to be for you.  All of you are going above and beyond the call of duty.  We are very proud of you.

    Posted on Sat May 28, 2011 7:08 pm EST

  5. big al says:

    Hi carolyn looks like a lot of needed work done
    missing you and i see monkey is doing good
    ok take care and see you home soon bye bye ..BIG AL

    Posted on Sat May 28, 2011 11:11 pm EST

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