Adios Honduras

Today is the final day of clinic. We're having bittersweet feelings, obviously missing home but also sad to say goodbye to such an awesome team, our wonderful Lions Club hosts, our interpreters, and the Hondurans who have been so friendly and welcoming. In two short weeks, we have developed bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime. If only we could pack our new friends and favorite volunteers in our suitcases and bring them home with us to share with you -- we know you'd love them, too.

Everyone worked so well together from the first to the last day that even the language barriers didn't get in the way. It was common to hear Italian, Spanish, German, and English being spoken at the same time on any given day in clinic. The vast diversity on our team allowed us to learn so much about ourselves and each other. And the international flavor of our team reminded us that smiles and laughter can say more than words ever could.

Yesterday was our busiest day with over 1,900 helped. Our team also had the opportunity to visit the surgery clinic and see the surgeons from Vision Outreach International in action. We're in awe of what they're doing here. Above, surgery patients are having their eye patches removed in their post-op visit. Below, surgery is being performed -- check out the video image of the eye on the right.

In fact, we were able to see Raymundo, one of the patients who had surgery two days ago. Team member Laura Barnes (below) did the big reveal (took his bandages off) and Raymundo couldn't stop talking about how well he could see. Three years ago, Raymundo was in a farm accident and lost his vision. It was the same year his grandson was born so Wednesday marked the first time he was able to see his grandson clearly. All because of the work the two teams are doing here in Honduras. Raymundo is just one of nearly 200 people helped at the VOI/Lions Club clinic.

As we close up clinic and pack for home, we want to leave you with a few more smiling faces. This will be our last post since we'll be celebrating with our Lions Club tonight and then leaving at the crack of dawn to catch our flights. We're looking forward to seeing all of you and sharing more stories in person. In the words of team member Christian Meinert, this experience has been UNBELIEVABLE!!

Above is Massimo Benna (Segusino, Italy) handing out sunglasses to everyone on Wednesday.

Here is Dr. Shirley Hong (San Francisco, CA) getting ready to check one of the thousands of patients she's seen the past two weeks.

Dr. Nehal Patel (Amherst, NY) is always ready with a smile for us and for the people she sees.

Rosanne Nietupski (West Chester, OH) has become an autorefracting wiz.

Dr. Dan Feuling (Beaver Dam, WI) scopes a patient and most likely shared his great sense of humor with her and many others.

Dr. Nga Lu (Winnetka, CA) takes a quick time with her interpreter and a OneSight recipient.

Our team also included the fabulously talented photographer Mark Lyons (above) who has been capturing the faces, emotions, and locations of OneSight missions for several years. Over the course of three full days of shooting, Mark has taken nearly 4,500 photographs. He's also perfecting his Spanish and has been using espanol throughout the trip.

Here are just a few shots taken of Jamie Muriel Castro. Mark visited a school and met Jamie Castro, a smart child who was having trouble reading. She was a minus-2.00 in the right eye and a minus-3.50 in the left. With her shiny new chabellas, Jamie will be able to see in school and at home. Mark assured us this young girl will wow her teachers with even better grades.

The video below was taken on one of the first clinic days when Randy Smith (Mason, OH) was trying to get the crowd to do the wave. We thought waving was appropriate today as we say so long to San Pedro Sula.

The Team Photos

Team Honduras wanted to make sure all of our fans and followers got to see the faces they're missing the most. We're 47 strong so it's not always easy to capture everyone's beautiful smile on the blog but we want to make sure everyone back in the states gets to see the faces they're missing the most. Here are some folks who haven't had the opportunity to say hello just yet:

First up is Jorge Thomas (Brownsville, TX) (below) who dispensed this pair of plus-18.00s to this little boy.

Next up is Randy Smith (Mason, OH) from the home office handing out sidewalk chalk to the kids waiting in line in front of the clinic every morning.

And here's our fearless mission leader Scott Lawrence (Pascagoula, MS) pictured with Eva Zawadzki (Odessa, ON).


And our birthday girl Naomi Rodriguez (East Chicago, IN) dispensing to one of more than 1600 recipients today.

Laura Barnes (Chicago, IL) kept track of frequently used Spanish phrases on her arm, including Dos pares de lentes (two pairs of glasses) and para lejos solemente (for distance only).

Dr. Quynh Duong (Norwalk, CA) uses the hand-held autorefractor to check a patient.

Sue Rees (Trabuco Canyon, CA) stayed in autorefracting all day today, keeping pace with a record crowd for the week.

Wanda Torres (Florida) is pictured with Craig Alter after she dispensed to these two ninos early in the day.

Dr. Karsten Lee (Maui, HA) checks the eye health of a patient.

Jon Davis (Denver, CO) dispensed to this fine muchacho in his big hat.


And finally, all the way from Austria, here's Helmut Pirker doing a great job with chabellas.

Week Two Begins

After a relaxing break over the weekend, we were back in clinic today. Being out and about in Honduras in Copan (Mayan ruins) and doing some sightseeing and ziplining renewed everyone's energy and got us jazzed for the second week. Most of the group enjoyed their tour of the ruins (see photo below) while a few others went to an incredible waterfall and all enjoyed seeing the Honduran countryside. Everyone enjoyed spending some downtime together before we were back at it today.

As Week Two kicks off, we wanted to put the focus on our fantastic doctor team led by Karsten Lee. While most of the team gets to rotate through stations in the clinic, our doctors are seeing each and every patient that comes through the door. Today, more than any day, they experienced the highs and lows that come during the mission. We're only giving a snapshot on the blog of the amazing stories we hear and share with each other every day -- and our doctors are among those team members who see the good, the not-so-good, and the miraculous.





















In fact, today, Dr. Toshiya Arciaga (Tampa, FL) (above) helped an older man who was blind in both eyes due to severe cataracts caused by a car accident. He was referred to our Vision Outreach International surgeons and he'll be able to see in just a few days! For the first time in three years!



















And Dr. Noah Wiarda (Ft. Collins, CO) and Dr. Jason Lam (Burbank, CA) had an extra busy day making a difference in more than 1,500 people's lives as they came through clinic.

Though we've only been together nine days, it feels like we've been working together for years - our team is that smooth and streamlined. Everyone pitches in when they see a station getting backed up, we all have fun with each other and with the people we're helping, and most importantly, we're getting to see the results of our work after some patients visit the surgery clinic.


We're honored that Mark Lyons, OneSight's veteran photographer, has joined us this week to capture some of the magic at the surgery clinic and in our own clinic.


Big shout outs to the friends and family of Sherry Peake, Dr. Quynh Duong, Naomi Richardson, Dr. Nga Lu, and Dr. Shirley Hong, and Dr. Nehal Patel.

Week One of Clinic Closes

We ended the week on a high note today after seeing over 1,600 people for a grand total of 6,000. Our partners at Vision Outreach International also completed 60 surgeries over two days. We're a little tired, a little slap happy, and a lot excited about our two free days when we'll get to see more of Honduras including the Copan Mayan ruins and the beach!

But before we depart for the weekend, we wanted to share a few stories and a few photos for our friends at home. First a few from our awesome Italian team -- Candido Benvegnu, Fabrizio Redigonda, Silvano Da Roit, and Mossimo Benna. Candido and Silvano (pictured above) made friends with the woman who makes us very strong cafe in the morning. It's forte e nero!

After spending time in autorefracting, chabellas and IMS, Fabrizio dispensed his very first pair of glasses today, making it a very special moment for a 2-year-old girl who had a +2.50 Rx.

Kate Michaux (Eagan, Minnesota) was a rock star in dispense today and gave five-year-old Alison her very first pair of glases. Good thing, because Alison had a fairly hefty Rx.

And Sherry Peake (Knoxville, TN) and Yoana Castellanos (Los Angeles, CA) provided clear vision for 5-year-old Blanca who was a plus-7 in each eye. Her father, pictured here, was awfully proud that his daughter could now see him as well as he has always been able to see her.

A few shout outs to people at home:

Jorge Thomas (Mcallen, TX) sends his love to all of his friends and family.

Craig Alter, Randy Smith, Amy Purcell, and Roseanne Nietupski say hello to everyone at the home office and in their hometown.

Happy Friday and we'll share more stories on Monday!

Dias Dos y Tres

Days two and three went smoothly even though the clinic was busy. Together, we saw over 3,100 patients, and have referred at least one hundred people to the surgery clinic. In fact, today was the first day of surgeries and we're all looking forward to hearing how the clinic is working out for the Vision Outreach International volunteers.

Here are just a few of the great stories that happen every hour on the hour in Honduras.
















Inneesha Nelson (Burnaby, British Columbia), pictured above, helped a 21-year-old woman with her first pair of glasses. The woman's prescription was fairly high, with a minus-6 cylinder (that's optical talk for not being able to see clearly). We were able to find a great match and the glasses matched the shirt she was wearing to boot!














Julie Kohler (Hartford, WI) dispensed a super pair of frames of a nine-year-old girl who received her first pair of glasses ever. She also had a high prescription with a minus-7 cylinder, not an easy match to make on a mission.















Inneesha and Amy Purcell (Akron, OH) helped find an excellent match for 35-year-old Maruin who had never worn glasses. He was minus-13 in one eye and minus-14 in the other. It was amazing that we were able to find glasses for him that so closely matched his prescription...and they were a fine, fine-looking pair. Tears all around in this group as we dispensed and his mother thanked us.














But in between the tears, there is always time for plenty of smiles, hugs, and blessings for all of the kids we see, including the fantastic group of volunteers from New Horizon School that have been with us for three clinic days. Truly incredible - they could run the clinic without us! Here's Craig Alter (Cincinnati, OH and chief blogger) hamming it up with a young recipient.















And, today was Hometown Day for the team. We all wore something that represented our home state whether it was sports-oriented or something else special from our city. And Christian Meinert from Germany sported a super pair of leather leiderhosen (sp?). Here he is with Candido Benvegnu from Sedico, Italy.

Speaking of Christian, he wants to say hello to all of his fans and friends in Germany and let you know he's made plenty of balloon animals.


And Eva Zawadzki from Odessa, Ontario gives a shout out to all of her family and friends. Eva leads our team in total donations to OneSight.

Bienvenudos from San Pedro Sula

Hola, Family and Friends! Everyone has arrived in San Pedro Sula safely and ready to give the gift of sight to more than 15,000 Honduran men, women and children over 8 clinic days. Today was our first day at the clinic, which, thanks to the incredible Lions Club, is absolutely fantastic...and air conditioned!

Everything flowed so smoothly you would have thought we had all been on several missions together but the truth is, we have about 50% first-time mission participants on this clinic. Everyone jumped right into their stations, learned the process, and kept it fun.

Here are the quick numbers: 1,172 eyeglasses dispensed in seven hours. 20% of those glasses were chabellas (crafted by hand in the clinic by a team of dedicated volunteers). And nearly 60 referrals to the cataract surgery clinic that will be run by Vision Outreach International (VOI).

But the numbers aren't the important stuff -- what's most important is seeing the smiles and receiving the hugs and blessing from those we're helping. Here are three highlights:

Jeff Dunaway (Sunglass Hut, Cincinnati, OH) dispensed a pair of minus-13s to a teenage girl who was not only excited about being able to see clearly, she also loved the look of her new frames!

Julie Kohler (LensCrafters, Wisconsin) told the group that one mother exclaimed how happy her son was about finally looking like his hero, Harry Potter. All because we were able to provide him with a hand-crafted pair of chabellas in his exact prescription.

The mission wasn't all work -- there was also time to play. Our resident balloon animal expert, Christian Meinert, twisted balloons into all sorts of fun shapes for the kids during the clinic. The effort was a huge bang with the kids and with the entire team (sometimes loud when the balloons popped).

Happy Birthday to Dr. Tosh Arciaga and Dr. Kevin Miller! Everyone on the team says hello and lots of love to friends, family, and everyone following this blog.

1 Week To Go

Honduras Here We Come!

On Monday, April 27, our team from all over the globe will be arriving in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to give the Gift of Sight to thousands of people! For 2 weeks, we will be giving free eye exams, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and even eye surgeries to the men, women, and children of Honduras.

Our host partners in Honduras, the local Lions Club, has been planning and preparing for our arrival for many months. The OneSight Foundation team has ensured safe delivery of thousands of eyeglasses, sunglasses, and other medical supplies for our use.

We invite you to follow this blog and share our experiences in words and pictures while we are there! We hope you will share your comments and messages with us! Stay tuned for our first post from Honduras!