A few months ago Ingrid A. Carlson, MD of Mountain View Family Eye Care in Colorado Springs, CO, contacted Medelita to order scrubs to take on her Pediatric Ophthalmology Medical Mission to Grenada. We were immediately inspired by Dr. Carlson’s story, which is outlined below: “Last year while on vacation in the Caribbean I noticed a newspaper photo of Santa Claus with a child on his knee. The child was about 18 months and severely cross-eyed. The picture was supposed to look “cute”, but I knew functional blindness from amblyopia was possible. Out of simple curiosity I said to the receptionist at the hotel, “Oh, back in the states I do that kind of surgery to straighten children’s eyes. Who would this child see here?” She answered, “No one.” Again, I said, “Oh, you mean no one on this island, but surely if he went to a larger island he could see a doctor there.” She replied, “Maybe if his parents are rich they will fly him to Miami, but we have no one in the Caribbean.” Stunned, I returned home and researched this. Sure enough, I could identify no Caribbean pediatric eye surgeon. How could I let the people of these islands I loved, wait on me, clean my room, maintain my hotel grounds, drive me from place to place, and I do nothing in return? So...I sent a few letters out to some of the medical facilities in the Caribbean. Saint George’s University on Grenada responded and invited me to come. I am told we will be the first pediatric eye surgeons on this island in over ten years.” We were so thrilled to be able to contribute what we could for the Mission, and we sent Dr. Carlson a scrub top embroidered with her Mission’s logo. Recently she returned from the trip reporting that her team saw over one hundred children in clinic, and were able to perform “life-changing surgery” on many. She sent us the stories of a couple of her patients in Grenada with pictures included, which we have scanned and posted below (click to enlarge). Medelita would like to congratulate Dr. Carlson and her team for their incredible work improving the lives of those who might otherwise never have this opportunity. Keep up the good work! If you or your group is involved in volunteer work, please tell us about it and we’ll post your story here.
