NEEDING TO BE HEARD

This is my first eye care mission trip since I was in optometry school 25 years ago and I have been so looking forward to it. It’s hard to believe that it has come to an end. Each day has been filled with so many emotions, excitement, frustration, exhaustion and a whole lot of fun.  The third day when we were in Jicamarca we were on a roll in triage- (that means picking out the people that don’t need glasses, need further testing or sending them to get glasses) we were seeing a girls school. One after the other there were a number of girls with 20/20 vision and no need for glasses. I know enough spanish to tell them “los ojos es mui bien- no nececittas para los lentes” ( your eyes are fine and you do not need glasses)  Suddenly one of those girls pulled Father Paul over who offered to help with translation so she could talk to me. She was worried because when she read her eyes get tired and water. Suddenly there were 6 other girls surrounding me. My first thought was “uh oh” this is not part of the plan. There were people lined up waiting to be seen and I did not have time for this. My thought initially was for Father Paul to just tell them all that their eyes were checked and were fine so I could keep the line moving. But I took a moment and looked at their eager faces which were all very concerned. 

They politely raised their hands and waited for Father Paul to call on them. Their questions may have seemed minor but not to them. I took the time to listen to each of them and answer their questions. At the end they all smiled and gave me a gracias. My colleagues Rita and Brad came over to make sure everything was ok when they saw the girls crowded around me. I told them I had it under control. Later Brad asked me what had happened and my response without thought was that a bunch of teenage girls just needed to be heard. 

Don’t we all. I have truly enjoyed being a part of TWECS Peru project. I love the camaraderie of the team who came together from Canada and different parts of the US. A group of different ages, background and experiences with a common mission to bring eye care to those who may not have easy access to that care with respect, dignity and a sense of fun. Thank you Derrick and Marina for all the work you put into this project which was so well organized. Thank you to the people that sponsored and supported me on this project. My family, friends and especially to Anne Searle who along with her coworkers at Trellance very generously sponsored me with funds and donated eye glasses. Until next time.

Rene Royal, OD
Minnesota, USA