04 29 2010 (2nd posting)

Rafael was our Chabella story of the day. Rafael is a 14 year old boy from Usulutan, El Salvador. His mother took him out of school today from the express purpose of getting his eyes checked from the Doctor's at our Clinic. Rafael was already wearing a pair of eyeglasses when we first met him, although they were outdated and he clearly need a new prescription. We first met Rafael and his mother as they waited in line for the auto refractor. Rafael was a shy boy, but what boy at 14 isn't. We teased him and got to know Rafael and his mother as they waited patiently in line. Later on, just before Clinic closed, Rafael and his mother got hold of me. He had a new pair of eyeglasses, but they clearly were not appropriate for a 14 year old boy, nor was the prescription as precise as we would like. Long story short, I got hold of one of our Doctor's who then worked with one of our team mates and our Chabella colleagues to make a brand new pair of eyeglasses for Rafael. I asked Rafael and his mother to wait, and in less than 10 minutes Rafael had a brand new pair of eyeglasses that were a perfect match for his prescription. His eyes lit up as they were dispensed and both he and his mother left the Clinic as happy as anything. He was wearing a new pair of eyeglasses as they left the gate. Kudos to everyone who took the time to assist the 14 year old get a new pair of eyeglasses, a pair that he was proud to wear. It taught me a lesson - the need to push for the collection and recycling of children's glasses. Thankfully, in some instances, we have Chabella's as a back up.

That's the news for Thursday, April 29th. The "roving reporters" reporting. Good day.