Sunday, November 22, 2015

M*A*S*H


Today on our TWECS mission took a different twist! We arrived at our designated site in Basey Samar to find we had been "stood-up"!! Dr. Marina quickly made a phone call and we were on our way to the Tanauan City Hall Mayors Office where we got set up for a clinic there by 9AM. While there, one of our new volunteers, Randy an optician who hales from Morefield, Ontario performed some magic by fabricating a pair of -15.25 eye glasses for little Teresita a 56 year old who could only see to "Count Fingers" at 5ft. She is so tiny that Randy had to reconfigure the arms of the glasses to fit her small head. Just one of the miracles of today. Proud to work with you Randy.
Randy with Teresita

On a lighter note........
Our laugh for the day was a 76 year old woman who never wore glasses before and needed a pair of glasses for distance and reading.. we found her a perfect pair for her distance and she was elated how well she could see. When she was leaving she asked in all seriousness “do I have to take them off when I go to bed”.  We all had a good laugh! 
Rodger Konkle


M*A*S*H
I feel kinda like we are trapped in a mini series of MASH and I'm sitting in the swamp after another day in clinic.  Fortunately the swamp is an air conditioned hotel room with wifi, tv and a hot shower.  The OR has very little blood but gallons of sweat.  Like MASH we have triage and we don't fix everyone, but we all try and so far as far as I know no one has had a nervous breakdown or meltdown.  Eric Smart, O.D.

The dripping never stops for Derrick.....

Dr. Myrfield under a garbage bag to do retinoscopy

Toilet doesn't flush....that's what the blue dipper does.....hold it high and watch out for any back splash..
And no toilet paper allowed in the toilet bowl...it goes into a garbage bucket
also no light and lots of mosquitoes...so do your business quickly


BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR
Miracles happen everyday on a TWECS project.  This lady needed some distance glasses and informed me everything was blurry. She couldn't read a single sign in the building or see any of the people in the clinic hall.  For the last 7 years she couldn't clearly see her family or grandchildren.  I asked her how she shopped when going to town?   She informed me that her neighbour was often kind enough to lend her glasses for a few hours and they helped. She left the clinic seeing perfectly.  Tears, a smile from ear to ear and a hug.  I wiped a tear from my eye and stopped for a moment, my world was perfect.  Doug Higginson

This billboard really hit home for the team.


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