Rotary Club San Pedro South (RCSPS) President Guia Lopez de Leon shares how she helps senior citizens one eye at a time
Mondays are special and beautiful for me.
I am excited to fetch up my special guests…all strangers to me…every Monday. They are senior citizens with eye problems, and I have only known them all thru Facebook. With their respective guardians, I drive them to expert eye doctors so that they will be blessed with “new eyes.”
“Eye Care for You” is my personal advocacy that aims to provide thorough eye exams and eye services like cataract operations to the San Pedro Community, all for free. The roundtrip service every Monday to Sierra Eye Clinic at Santo Tomas, Batangas from San Pedro, Laguna, less than one hour away, is also being provided for free.
The idea started on my natal day, last June 16. As I blow the candles on my birthday cake, an epiphany happened. As the new Club President of the Rotary Club of San Pedro South (RCSPS) of District 3820, I was so happy with my Transformer-themed cake then. Suddenly, I wondered if how many eyes can be teary-eyed like mine still.
I instantly googled, “How many are blind?” The World Health Organization estimated that the number of people visually impaired in the world is 285 million, 39 million blind and 246 million having low vision. Google also mentioned that in the Philippines, the Department of Health reported that over two million Filipinos nationwide are blind or are suffering from poor vision.
Since I know that cataracts, glaucoma and some macular degeneration, the leading causes of blindness globally, are curable, I immediately phoned in our former President, Mr. Bernard Herrera. Then, we met up with Ms. Maria Sylvia Abelgas of “Alagang Kalusugan, Inc.” and of Inner Wheel Club of Makati West Premier to come up with possible solutions. She then led us to truly commendable eye doctors.
They asked me how many patients can I sponsor, and I replied with an optimistic answer, “More than one hundred senior citizens.”
In my heart, I knew that if Rotarians across the globe can stand united for this cause, there will be no curable eye problem that will be left unnoticed. Yes, I hope to extend the help to all ages… all-year round… all around the world.
And I am starting in my own little community. Fortunately, Laguna Board Member Ann Matibag, Vice Mayor Art Mercado and Past President Arwin Serrano of RCSPS New Generations are now helping us.
Despite the pandemic, I can see a bright future ahead of us, literally and figuratively. Just as it is important to keep the bodies free from the novel coronavirus, I need to emphasize to everyone to keep the eyes healthy.
Finally, I envision, as a Rotarian, a clearer world for everyone. I believe that early detection and preventive eye care are of topmost importance. Hence, I am also providing information drive to remind everyone to always keep our eyes healthy.
With “Service Above Self” credo engraved in my being, I believe that all these things are possible. So help me God.
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