And the Blind Will See: Rotarian Rod Mace and the Guerrero Eye Clinic

When Rod Mace shares his stories with you, it’s easy to assume he has a background in opthamology or some other sector of the medical field.  That’s not the case.  Rod is a retired insurance agent and a member of the Memorial-Spring Branch Rotary.

 

Why the confusion?  Twice a year, Rod volunteers at the Guerrero Eye Clinic in Guerrero, Mexico, mapping eyeballs using an auto-refractor machine.  Eye doctors use these maps during the examinations that follow.

 

I recently sat down with Rod to learn more about his annual pilmgrimages to Guerrero.

 

Twice a year, a group of twenty to thirty volunteers travel to Guerrero, Mexico to work at the eye clinic.  This year, they will be traveling from October 19^th to the 25^th.  These volunteers include doctors, technicians, and folks who don’t know a stethoscope from a thermometer.  Rod said, “There is a lot of work to do supporting the doctors and helping the 800 or more locals who will visit us.  Medical training isn’t a necessity.  We just need Houstonians willing to help.”

 

The helping provided is more dramatic – and more wonderful – than you would expect.  Rotary will reach out to chieftans, priests, mayors, and other civic leaders to make them aware that the clinic will be open.  Many folks will walk to the clinic – walks of up to 20 or 30 miles – to receive care.

 

Once those in need reach the clinic, they receive medical examinations in one of eight examination rooms.  If necessary, there are three operating rooms for procedures.  Local bilingual teenagers volunteer to translate.

 

Many of those who are treated have cataracts that have lead to blindness.  This is a dangerous situation as in poor and remote areas, blindness can be a death sentence.  Doctors perform up to 40 cataract surgeries per day removing those cataracts.  Elderly and children who have not seen in years are suddenly blessed with the gift of sight.

 

We all want to make a difference.  Can you imagine a simpler way to make such a large impact?  I asked Rod about this, about what is the most rewarding aspect of his work, “Watching a child see for the first time in two or three years.  That’s amazing.”

 

The cost of this trip for the volunteers surprised me.  They fly from Houston into Chihuahua, take two vans to Guerrero, stay in a local hotel, and eat well.  Rod said the trip typically costs about $1000.

 

Rod finished by saying, “That’s a low price for the opportunity to help people see again, to make a quantifiable difference in people’s lives.”

If you’d like more details on sponsoring a volunteer or traveling to Guerrero with Rod’s group, contact Rod at rodmace@gmail.com.