Helping to Bring Sight to the World
I was very lucky to be a member of the mission of healing eyes to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo in May of 2015. It was truly a life-changing experience. I was very excited to meet the other team members and all the patients, to have my first hands-on experience with surgical procedures, and to contribute to a team that makes a real difference in the lives of so many people. We arrived on a beautiful afternoon in Zihuatanejo and started working right away to prepare for the week ahead, unloading supplies and getting everything set up for the surgeries that needed to be done at the Naval Hospital. The surgeries started the next day and every volunteer worked very hard the entire week to ensure that everything went well. My main task was to help with the pre- and post-surgical preparations in the operating room. Every task that was done by each volunteer was important, from patching and prepping patients, to getting them back to their families after the surgery. I felt very lucky to be able to contribute in any way I could to make the mission successful. It was also great to participate in the daily reflections, to spend time at the beach or in the pool speaking with all the volunteers at the end of the day, and to get to know the locals. Everyone I met was an amazing person, and I can say they have definitely made me into a better person.
Having direct contact with the patients was priceless. I could feel how much the surgery meant to them and to their families, what a life-changing experience it was for them, and how grateful they were for what we were doing. It was a moving experience to see two little girls who were blind going to the surgery because I could feel how much the surgery was going to change their future for the better and the lives of their families. It was particularly rewarding to see all the patients coming back for their final check-up wearing sunglasses, with their vision restored. It was such a rewarding and fulfilling moment.
This mission showed me that God is thoroughly working His miracles through the hands of the doctors and all the volunteers involved. It made me feel more opened to God’s calling and inspired me to focus more on the greater good. I feel truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful mission and I hope that it’s the first of many more to come.