I would like to thank the community of 100 Mile House for coming together and supporting my trip to El Salvador.
With all of the donations from generous individuals, the costs of my trip were covered.
I had an amazing experience there. It was a very gratifying experience and I would go back in a heartbeat.
Here is my story:
Spring break is usually my time for relaxing, having fun with friends and baking cookies. But this year, I decided to try something different.
I joined a team of eight optometry students and one doctor on an Amigos adventure to the smallest and most densely populated nation in Central America, El Salvador. It was the best decision I ever made.
Reality set in when we arrived at our village "hotel" where we were greeted by an armed guard. Our hotel was surrounded by a chain-link fenced topped with razor-sharp barbed wire.
I was looking forward to a hot shower, but all we had was one toilet, one sink, and one cold shower for five women bunking together in the same room. The cold shower was a wonderful surprise as the humidity was extremely high.
Our daily routine included beans, rice and scrambled eggs for breakfast, a ham-and-cheese sandwich for lunch, and pupusas (a handmade corn tortilla filled with cheese and refried beans) for supper. Those of us lucky enough to pack our own toilet paper, made regular visits to the latrines.
When we arrived at our first clinic in Estanzuelas, there were already at least 100 people lined up patiently waiting for us. They were dressed in their best clothes, and many had walked for miles to see us.
They were very friendly, welcoming and happy to have us in their community. Although very few of us spoke Spanish, we were able to communicate.
The El Salvadorian doctors told us that 17 per cent of the population lives in extreme poverty; 63 per cent survive on only $2 or less a day.
We visited a different village each day and had five clinic days in total. Each day, we joined a team of two El Salvadorian doctors and 10 technicians.
We saw many different eye diseases, such as pterygiums, pingueculae, strabismus, hypertropia, dense cataracts, orbital cellulitis, intermittent esotropia, toxoplasmosis, iris colobomas, and many more.
As a team, we saw 1,980 patients, referred 268 of these patients for consults with the ophthalmologist, and handed out more than 1,000 pairs of glasses.
Of all the hundreds and hundreds of patients I saw, a few in particular stand out in my memories.
I was deeply touched by this one older lady. After giving her an eye examination to determine her prescription, she broke down in tears after seeing clearly for the first time. She gave me a big hug.
Even though I don't speak Spanish, I knew she was thanking me profusely.
Each day, many children waited patiently with their families to get their glasses. I always got an extra smile when I gave them a pencil and a sucker.
I am very thankful I was able to go on this trip. It was a life-changing experience I will never forget and I can't wait to go again next year.