What you’re getting here is realtime intel. None of that month later bullshit. Depending on when you all check my snoop blog, this is happening today. Or tomorrow. Kinda cool.
Okay, see this guy? The one who looks like robocop?
His name's Rob. He's from Saskatchewan. Which means he's got a cool canadian accent and says "eh" a lot. He's also an f-ing rockstar eye specialist who flew down here for two weeks on his own dime with 50 other eye specialists and volunteers from all over the place to take part a free eye care campaign that's been going on for the past two weeks in a tiny rural town in the eastern part of the country.
The two-week trip was organized by Eye Care, a group of eye specialists who travel to developing countries to provide free treatment. Think
Medecins Sans Frontieres, but without the pretentious french name.
They're here giving free exams, glasses, surgeries, etc. And it's INcredible! By far the most powerful and touching part of my PC experience so far. Giving back sight to elderly people who haven't been able to read or sew or see a picture of their grandkids in the states is what this shit is all about. Got teary-eyed too many times to count. I have way too many photos to post right now and I could write pages on the experience, but I'll quickly write what I can...
This 15 year old girl was born with a defect in her eye. Her mom didn't seek treatment when she was younger and she lost her eye. When she came into my station, we put her in for a surgery consult and through the kickass work of our friend Linsey, she was under the knife the next day.
Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do for her sight. Everything died years ago. But they took out the dead tissue, inserted a glass prosthetic, and bam, normal girl on her way towards a normal life. A life where no one stares at her on the bus, where no one makes fun of her at school, a life where she can just be a 15 year old girl. I get all tingly just thinking about it.
Anyway, seeing that girl got me thinking. About how more than 500 people were passing through every day and Don Lucio in my community is just sitting there in his adobe house waiting for another eye to fall from the sky.
So last Thursday I called my mayor's office back home, typed up a letter, faxed it over and just like that, we were in business. I had to make all sorts of promises, considering I was setting this all up from 300 miles away, but it worked!
I actually just came from a meeting at the mayor's office an hour ago and officially we have two microbuses approved for 60 people tomorrow at the asscrack of dawn. Tomorrow. Tuesday. Boom. Can't tell you how psyched I am.
I'm just posting these photos to give you a sense of what's going on. I'll fill it all in and write more when I can...
Jimbo clearly hard at work. Just kidding, Jbo was a translating machine all week
This guy was getting fitted for a false eye. It's amazing to see these guys go from embarrassed and disfigured to perfectly normal and smiling in just a few seconds.
Ojos! Lots of em!
Lauren was a rockstar in the bifocals room
A tipical
agricultor
Hmm, not sure that's the best pair for Steph
Relax ladies. There's enough of me for everyone
Me and Elli proving that bifocals are awesome. She's gonna make a great jewish grandmother some day, I just know it
Jimbo translating like a champion
Linsey in a surgery consult
Camera one... camera two... camera one... camera two...
My old roommate Chris fitting a campesino with a new pair of specs
Lines out the door and Linsey strutting her stuff. Can't say enough about this girl. The definition of a rockstar volunteer. She lives in this community and worked her ass off to coordinated this project and make it a success. Nice job, chica.
And look, I even set the camera down to work too!
