Russell and Eileen's Church Missions: AND THE BLIND WILL SEE

On Saturday we had the experience of going to Rumah Sakit Puri Husada near Jogjakarta where the medical residents and Dr. Suhardjo of Gadjah Mada University operated on 40 people that otherwise would not be able to obtain cataract surgery. When we arrived there was a large crowd of older people patiently waiting in seats under a tarp. It reminded me (Eileen) of my days with Operation Smile. We were invited to sit on the stand and visited with Dr. Subroto, the director of the hospital, and many of the local staff. While we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, the medical staff were putting drops in the eyes of some of the patients. They invited me to look at the patients eyes. The patients willingly complied. I was surprised at how young some of the patients were. There were patients in their 40’s, many in their 50’s all the way up to patients in their 80’s. Most had cataracts severe enough that I could see their cataracts from across the room. I was told that all were farmers and would not be able to afford surgery on their own.

Our church has supplied some instruments for the doctors to use in surgery and there were three other companies that were sponsoring the costs of the surgery that day. We had a ceremonial program with the sponsors, the doctors and the patients. Russell was asked to speak and did an excellent job considering he didn’t have much notice. He described how he had received cataract surgery before we left on our mission at the age of 55 and what a blessing it was to receive his sight back. Many of the patients that were there for surgery were blind. It will truly be wonderful for them, not only because they will receive their sight, but many of them will be able to return to earning income for their families again. At the end of the program one of the sponsors sang. Although we didn’t know who he was, we were informed that he is a famous pop star in Indonesia named Piyu. http://youtu.be/vXVX4g_cpkg

I was able to observe several cataract surgeries. I was impressed with the sterility and care that Dr. Suhardjo used as he supervised the residents. It was amazing to me to see the surgery being performed and how quickly a life could be changed. Each surgery lasted about 30 minutes. The patient was awake during the surgery, but lay totally still. The patient received numbing drops in their eyes prior to surgery. Each patient will be checked 1-2 days postop to make sure everything is going well and then return to their homes. Many of them will have their other eye operated on later in the year if they have cataracts in both eyes. I left feeling so grateful for eyesight, access to good medical care, and the opportunity to partner with such a great group as the doctors at Gadja Mata. Each doctor was giving of their time and expertise without pay to help the poor of Indonesia regain their sight.