VISIONS of SAINTS - Holy Love · VISIONS of SAINTS Illustrated by the Visionary,
Visions of the Rainforest
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30 • Her Times • August 12, 2007 • Dreaming Big HER dreams S S a a v v e e at least 2 2 4 4 % % Save 24% off new Janome and Bernina sewing machines 1567622 Nothing Sews Like A Bernina. Nothing. BERNINA ® S S a a v v e e 2 2 4 4 % % Save 24% on fabrics, notions, books, accessories, embroidery designs and more “ “ h h a a v v i i n n g g m m o o r re e f fu u n n t th h a a n n y y o o u u s s h h o o u u l l d d “ h a v i n g m o re fu n th a n y o u s h o u l d h h a a v v e e w w i it t h h a a s se e w w i in n g g m m a a c c h h i i n n e e . . ” ” h a v e w it h a se w in g m a c h i n e . ” C C e e l l e e b b r r a a t t i i n n g g 2 2 4 4 y y e e a a r r s s C e l e b r a t i n g 2 4 y e a r s Receive 24 spools Floriani embroidery thread with any embroidery machine purchase Phone: 814-725-3335 • E-mail: [email protected] 55 W. Main St., North East, PA Sewing and Vacuum Center Sale ends Saturday, August 18th F ive-year-old Marianito watches the heavy plane rumble over the crowded slums and high-rise hotels of Guatemala City to the airport wedged inside this city of 3 million people. His eyes light up as he throws his arms around the tall, wiry man with curly hair, wondering if there’s a gift inside his backpack and looking past him to see if Anthony has come, too. “No, not this time, buddy,” says Erie eye doctor, Doug Villella, whose son, the same age as Marianito, stayed home with his mom, Holly, and sister Amanda. Soon Marianito’s father and uncle, opthalmologists Mariano and Nicholas Yee, will board a smaller plane with Doug, their duffle bags stuffed with medical supplies, bulging containers of eye glasses and equipment waiting on the tarmac. They will go deep into the rain forest of the Petén, where they and a small group of volunteers from VOSH/PA, the Pennsylvania chapter of Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, will see 3,700 people in five days, some who have walked six hours just to stand in line. For 36 years, a violent civil war, ending in 1996, drove many families to the remote regions of the Petén where there is a measure of safety, but no access to medical care. They say Villella can move mountains, but he will climb them, too, if it will bring him one step closer to helping blind children see in the rainforest of Guatemala. For the past 10 years, Doug has worked with a team of Guatemalan doctors to energize a core group of volunteers commandeer equipment and supplies, establish strategic partnerships around the globe, and raise $2.3 million to build three, sustainable eye clinics for the rural poor in Guatemala. Today, the clinics, which now employ five opthalmologists, including one who specializes in pediatrics, two optometrists, and dozens of health care workers, see 50,000 patients and perform 3,000 cataract surgeries every year. Together they provide more than 50 percent of all the eye care in Guatemala in what has become a demonstration project for all of Latin America. Talk about dreaming big? This local doctor hopes to eliminate childhood blindness in Guatemala by the year 2012. And he’s already talking about expanding the program to Haiti. Since 1997, VOSH/PA with its team of volunteer eye care professionals and others, has conducted 21 mission trips to Guatemala, examined more than 235,000 patients, dispensed 160,000 pair of eyeglasses, and provided for 16,455 sight-saving surgeries. Guatemalans have been trained to continue vision screenings. “By empowering local eye-care specialists in developing countries, by building sustainable eye clinics, and by establishing partnerships with like-minded organizations, you can transform the Third World,” says Doug, who has generated much of his support from the Erie region. The Erie and Meadville Lions clubs, Erie Rotary, other local eye doctors and dozens of Erie area people have contributed time, talent and money to the project. Grace Ward, a 104- year-old woman from Erie, is the program’s single largest benefactor. With investment capital from other project partners, Guatemalan women have started their own micro-businesses to supply low-cost eyeglasses to their neighbors. The Guatemala project earned a national People First Award from VSP in 2005, and the Humanitarian of the Year Award from VOSH International in 2006. The numbers are impressive, and the awards are, too, but the story is best told through the people whose lives are forever changed by the gift of sight. • A spectacled 12-year-old, Oswal Donis, sits at a computer in his humble cement-block home six months after surgeons removed shards lodged in his eye from a bottle rocket accident. A hard lesson learned after playing with fireworks, but now, his mom boasts, he is first in his class. He says he wants to be a teacher. • A handsome man with wavy gray hair breaks into a huge smile when his bandages are removed a few days after cataract surgery. His wife is more beautiful than he imagined. After 20 years of marriage, he’s seeing her for the first time. Erie eye doctor climbing mountains to bring vision to the Third World VISIONS OF THE RAINFOREST By Lisa Gensheimer “They say he can move mountains, but he will climb them, too, if it will bring him one step closer to helping blind children see in the rainforest of Guatemala.”
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Eye doctor climbing mountains to bring vision to Third World. By: Lisa Gensheimer
Transcript of Visions of the Rainforest
30 • Her Times • August 12, 2007 • Dreaming Big
HER dreams
SSaavvee at least 2244%%Save 24%off new Janome and Bernina
sewing machines
1567
622
Nothing Sews Like A Bernina. Nothing.
BERNINA®
SSaavvee 2244%%Save 24%
on fabrics, notions, books,
accessories, embroidery
designs and more
““hhaavviinngg mmoorree ffuunn tthhaann yyoouu sshhoouulldd“having more fun than you should hhaavvee wwiitthh aa sseewwiinngg mmaacchhiinnee..””have with a sewing machine.”CCeelleebbrraattiinngg 2244 yyeeaarrssCelebrating 24 yearsReceive 24 spools
Floriani embroiderythread with any
embroidery machinepurchase
Phone: 814-725-3335 • E-mail: [email protected] W. Main St., North East, PA
Sewing and Vacuum CenterSale ends Saturday, August 18th
F ive-year-old Marianito watches the heavyplane rumble over the crowded slums andhigh-rise hotels of Guatemala City to the
airport wedged inside this city of 3 million people.His eyes light up as he throws his arms aroundthe tall, wiry man with curly hair, wondering ifthere’s a gift inside his backpack and looking pasthim to see if Anthony has come, too.
“No, not this time, buddy,” says Erie eyedoctor, Doug Villella, whose son, the same ageas Marianito, stayed home with his mom, Holly,and sister Amanda.
Soon Marianito’s father and uncle,opthalmologists Mariano and Nicholas Yee, willboard a smaller plane with Doug, their dufflebags stuffed with medical supplies, bulgingcontainers of eye glasses and equipment waitingon the tarmac. They will go deep into the rainforest of the Petén, where they and a small groupof volunteers from VOSH/PA, the Pennsylvaniachapter of Volunteer Optometric Services toHumanity, will see 3,700 people in five days,some who have walked six hours just to stand inline. For 36 years, a violent civil war, ending in1996, drove many families to the remote regionsof the Petén where there is a measure of safety,but no access to medical care.
They say Villella can move mountains, but hewill climb them, too, if it will bring him one stepcloser to helping blind children see in therainforest of Guatemala.
For the past 10 years, Doug has worked with ateam of Guatemalan doctors to energize a coregroup of volunteers commandeer equipment and
supplies, establish strategic partnerships aroundthe globe, and raise $2.3 million to build three,sustainable eye clinics for the rural poor inGuatemala. Today, the clinics, which now employfive opthalmologists, including one whospecializes in pediatrics, two optometrists, anddozens of health care workers, see 50,000patients and perform 3,000 cataract surgeriesevery year. Together they provide more than 50percent of all the eye care in Guatemala in whathas become a demonstration project for all ofLatin America.
Talk about dreaming big? This local doctorhopes to eliminate childhood blindness inGuatemala by the year 2012. And he’s alreadytalking about expanding the program to Haiti.
Since 1997, VOSH/PA with its team ofvolunteer eye care professionals and others, hasconducted 21 mission trips to Guatemala,examined more than 235,000 patients,dispensed 160,000 pair of eyeglasses, andprovided for 16,455 sight-saving surgeries.Guatemalans have been trained to continuevision screenings.
“By empowering local eye-care specialists in
developing countries, by building sustainable eyeclinics, and by establishing partnerships withlike-minded organizations, you can transform theThird World,” says Doug, who has generatedmuch of his support from the Erie region.
The Erie and Meadville Lions clubs, ErieRotary, other local eye doctors and dozens ofErie area people have contributed time, talentand money to the project. Grace Ward, a 104-year-old woman from Erie, is the program’ssingle largest benefactor. With investment capitalfrom other project partners, Guatemalan womenhave started their own micro-businesses tosupply low-cost eyeglasses to their neighbors.
The Guatemala project earned a nationalPeople First Award from VSP in 2005, and theHumanitarian of the Year Award from VOSHInternational in 2006. The numbers areimpressive, and the awards are, too, but thestory is best told through the people whose livesare forever changed by the gift of sight.
• A spectacled 12-year-old, Oswal Donis, sits ata computer in his humble cement-block homesix months after surgeons removed shardslodged in his eye from a bottle rocket accident.A hard lesson learned after playing withfireworks, but now, his mom boasts, he is firstin his class. He says he wants to be a teacher.
• A handsome man with wavy gray hair breaksinto a huge smile when his bandages areremoved a few days after cataract surgery. Hiswife is more beautiful than he imagined. After20 years of marriage, he’s seeing her for thefirst time.
Erie eye doctor climbing mountains to bring vision to the Third World
VISIONS OF THE RAINFORESTBy Lisa Gensheimer
““TThheeyy ssaayy hhee ccaann mmoovveemmoouunnttaaiinnss,, bbuutt hhee wwiillll cclliimmbbtthheemm,, ttoooo,, iiff iitt wwiillll bbrriinngg hhiimmoonnee sstteepp cclloosseerr ttoo hheellppiinnggbblliinndd cchhiillddrreenn sseeee iinn tthheerraaiinnffoorreesstt ooff GGuuaatteemmaallaa..””
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• Rufino Garcia straightens his new prescription bifocals and gathers up hisfive children, all clad in protective sunglasses and ball caps. Soon he willbe sorting through barrels of dried corn, saving the best kernels for theflour he will grind for tortillas. Like most of Guatemala’s rural poor, he is asubsistence farmer. He depends on good eyesight to eat.
• Betya, age 10, was completely blind in both eyes and couldn’t attendschool until she had bilateral cataract surgery at the clinic in San Benito.“Children are especially vulnerable,” says Doug. “They get their first
machete by the age of 7, they work long hours unprotected in the hot sun,and many of them suffer from conditions they were born with, like congenital
glaucoma and congenital cataracts.”Without the benefit of earlyintervention and surgery, theseconditions go untreated, says Doug.“Some of the people with cataractsreach adulthood without ever knowingthat their blindness can be treatedwith surgery,” he added.
Now that the clinics are self-sufficient, Doug and his team areworking to establish a $2.5 millionendowment that will ensure theproject continues long after theyhand over the keys. An estimated4,000 children still need surgicalcare, and thousands more needprescription eyeglasses.
This month Doug is focusing on“The Mount Kilimanjaro Climb forSight,” a challenging, 11-day trip tothe top of the highest, freestandingmountain in the world. Held every
year in August and January, the event funds eye surgeries for children inGuatemala and could hold the key to the permanent endowment that willkeep the clinics running, long into the future.
“These climbers are realizing a lifetime dream to summit Mount Kilimanjaroand in doing so they are opening a door for the children in Guatemala to realizetheir dream for sight,” says Doug. “By securing sponsorships and fundraisingfor kids, you do two wonderful things at once — you get a full Africanexperience climbing a mountain and a safari, and you carry 30 to 40 childrento the top of the mountain with you.”
Mount Kilimanjaro Climb for SightAdventure seekers can read more about The Mount KilimanjaroClimb for Sight, founded in 2000 by another Erie native, Chuck“Lucky” Patton, in an advertisement in this month’s issues ofNational Geographic Adventure, Backpacker and Outsidemagazines. The next climb will be named in honor of Patton,who died of cancer in 2006. So far the climb has contributed$205,000 to fund sight-saving surgeries for 1,000 children.
Greetings from Guatemala
Rufino Garcia and family at home
PP Read more about the Guatemala project at www.voshpa.org
““II’’vvee lleeaarrnneedd tthhaattssoommeetthhiinngg lliikkee tthhiissnneeeeddss aa ddrriivveerr.. NNoommaatttteerr wwhhaatt tthheeoobbssttaaccllee,, yyoouu ddrriivveeaarroouunndd iitt.. NNooww wweehhaavvee aa ccoommmmiitttteeddtteeaamm ooff hhuummaanniittaarriiaannddooccttoorrss ddoowwnn tthheerree,,tthhee ffaacciilliittiieess aarree iinnppllaaccee,, aanndd eevveerryyoonneeiiss eemmppoowweerreedd.. TThheerreeiiss nnoo ppoossssiibbiilliittyy ooffiitt ffaaiilliinngg..””
— Doug Villella, O.D.,president of VOSH/PA
(DID YOU KNOW? That 44 percent ofGuatemalans are under the age of 15?
These girls (at left) wait for theirfirst eye exam in the villageof Dolores.Ph
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ike
Spar
ks
Guatemalan girls wait for an exam
5VOLUNTEERS, above, arriveat the Vincent Pescatore EyeClinic in San Benito. They willsee 3,700 people in five days.Dr. Villella is third from the leftin the front row.
