May Mission 2010

The Mission of Healing Eyes this past May was truly an amazing experience. I feel blessed to have met all the great people associated with this mission. I feel that my life was influenced in so many great ways by all of the people involved with the mission and also all of the wonderful people of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. For me, the most memorable experience occurred on the last day of the mission, when each of the 46 patients who received cataract surgery and their families returned for post-op. I recall one man, in particular, as he opened up the door of the cab he was riding in and stepped out. Two days earlier, he had been completely blind in both eyes. He had been accompanied by his grandson, who had to direct him to each station in the clinic. Now, as he stepped out of the cab smiling ear to ear, he walked without his grandson's assistance. I watched him approach as many volunteers of the mission as he could to shake their hands and thank them. To me, this was what the mission was all about. This man's life was drastically changed in a matter of days. Not only that, but this man no longer was a burdern to his grandson and the rest of his family.