Seeing a difference
I Care seeking volunteers to bring vision to Guatemalans
When it comes to my experience volunteering at the I Care International eye clinic I always talk about the same 18-year-old boy – Hugo.
Before Hugo came to the clinic he had never seen more than a few inches in front of his face.
He could not read and had never attended school. He had to be assisted everywhere he went, and had never clearly seen his father’s face.
When he came to the I Care clinic in Zihuatanejo, Mexico his father carefully sat him down in front of me to have his eyes examined with a hand-held auto refractor I had been operating all day. The machines measure eye prescriptions, and although I am by no means an eye doctor, I knew Hugo could not see me let alone the machine I was holding.
His eyes moved back and forth so quickly trying to focus I immediately started to cry. I took a breath and begged to myself that we would be able to help him.
Dr. Tim Ortiz took over Hugo’s examine since he clearly required more than a first-time volunteer such as myself. Hugo had progressive near-sightedness and volunteers searched through the 8,000 pairs of donated glasses to find him a strong enough prescription.
Hugo just sat and waited for a miracle.
When the glasses were found the whole clinic stopped to watch him put the lenses on. As he did, Hugo stood up to walk on his own for the first time in his life. He grabbed his fathers face and they both cried - along with every volunteer in the place.
I volunteered for the clinic almost three years ago and remember Hugo like I just saw him yesterday.
Hugo was one of 1,500 patients seen at that March 2007 I Care clinic. In its almost 21 years of existence, I Care International Inc. has helped more than 220,000 people to see and hear all over the world.
Dr. Phil Ortiz is the co-founder of the Morris non-profit group. I Care is now combined with both Illinois and California volunteers and has chapters in Canada and Mexico.
I was not able to attend last year’s eye clinic in Tzununa, Guatemala, but it was obviously successful since they are returning to the Central America country this year. They are going to a different village called San Lucas Toliman on Lake Atitlan.
This years clinic is from Feb. 27 to March 7, 2010, and I Care is looking for volunteers as well as eye doctors to attend the trip. Everyone has to pay their own way, but I Care has found reasonable rates for the flight and lodging, which includes three meals a day.
I encourage anyone who is capable to help I Care, or at least talk to Dr. Phil Ortiz.
During last year’s Guatemala mission the clinic served about 800 people, the least ever for an I Care clinic. The patients were mostly children, and numbers were low because of the fear of the Americans, Ortiz said. Most of the adults refused care because of this fear.
Despite this, I Care is returning because of the great need. Hopefully word has spread about I Care and the community will be more trusting.
The trips are more than just work. Volunteers are given the opportunity to learn about cultures they would otherwise never encounter and see one of those places in the world we usually only see on the Travel Channel.
San Lucas Toliman is a coffee-producing area and volunteers will get to tour some of the local plantations during down time, Ortiz said. It is surrounded by nine volcanoes, and is rich in culture since the villages are traditional Mayan communities.
When Ortiz returned from last year’s trip he said it was one of the most challenging trips and most rewarding.
Between being respectful to their culture and trying to translate the language, there were tough days but as it was with Hugo, nothing is more rewarding than helping a child see for the first time.
There have been few opportunities in my life that I have been able to do something that so strongly affected others as when I volunteered with I Care. You come home with the knowledge of another culture and a feeling of appreciation for your daily luxuries.
I think of Hugo often, and wonder if he has been able to learn to read since I Care supplied him with glasses. But mostly I pray that he has not lost or broken them.
If anyone has questions please contact me at the information below. Dr. Phil Ortiz has also offered to talk to anyone directly; he is available at (815) 735-6604.
Christina Chapman is a writer for the Morris Daily Herald. She can be reached by e-mail at cchapman@morrisdailyherald.com or at (815) 942-3221 ext. 2049.
