by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
There were the ones who went to Panama and those who did not, but the trip was a huge success largely because of the ones who did not go but who contributed so generously for the trip’s mission.
What they gave before the trip were used eyeglasses, hundreds and hundreds of them, enough to fill many, many bags. They also donated money.
“Our community (Sartell and beyond) came out in waves to help,” said Dr. Stacy Hinkemeyer, struggling for words to express her gratitude. “The response was just unbelievable.”
Hinkemeyer and her husband, Dr. Nicholas Colatrella, are the owners/operators of PineCone Vision Center in Sartell. Recently, those two; their children Alice, 13, and Tony, 10; and Hinkemeyer’s mother, Delrose, of Clearwater, returned from Panama where they donated their time and talents to help people see. The trip was made possible through the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, which gives the great gift of vision to people in need worldwide through more than 75 regional, state and school chapters. The PineCone Vision team was part of a group of 40 Minnesotans who did the Panama mission trip. Only 16 of them were doctors; the rest were trained helpers who helped measure vision, escorted patients, helped move equipment or did any other tasks that had to be done. In just three days, they saw, examined and fitted 1,800 people with eyeglasses or other forms of help for their poor vision. There were two clinics in which they worked – one in the village of San Felix, the other in a place called Boquete.
It’s the first time the PineCone Vision team went on such a trip.
“I’m a huge fan now,” Hinkemeyer said. “Such a trip has always been on my Bucket List, and last year we were asked by VOSH to join the effort. Next fall I hope to go on a trip to Tanzania and next winter maybe to El Salvador.”
In fact, Hinkemeyer is so enthused about the missions she was recently voted to serve on the Minneapolis-based VOSH Board.
Hinkemeyer and the others were astonished at how cast-off pairs of glasses can make such a happy difference in the lives of so many people who would otherwise never have glasses and would have to grope and stumble through life with such defective vision.
All of the eyeglasses were donated, from Sartell and elsewhere. Before the PineCone Vision team even left for Panama, Alice and Tony and others spent many hours checking the prescriptions of each pair of donated glasses, which were then written down before each pair of glasses was placed with its prescription in separate bags.
In Panama, Drs. Colatrella and Hinkemeyer then spent long days examining the eyes of patients, then matching them up with donated glasses that would match the corrections their vision needed. Translators from the Peace Corps helped bridge the language barrier. It was a labor of love for all concerned.
Hinkemeyer said she was so moved by a very old man who came down from the mountains when he heard about the clinic. The man, who was at least 80, was virtually blind because of cataracts. After being examined, they told the man that in the near future, a team of doctors would come from Indiana, and they would do surgery on his eyes that would make him see again. The old man was speechless with joy when given the hope and the promise he would be able to see again someday soon.
The patients the VOSH team treated ranged in age from about 3 to some in their 80s and even 90s.
“After they’d get their glasses, they could suddenly see so much better,” Hinkemeyer said. “Some were very near-sighted, and they’d never had glasses before. They were amazed by their sudden sight. And there were grateful hugs and kisses all around.”
Hinkemeyer firmly believes the Panama trip was a life-changer. The many interactions they had with people so far away was humbling and inspirational at the same time, giving all of the participants, including Alice and Tony, a much more expansive world view.
Hinkemeyer gropes to find words to express the Panamanian experience. She finally finds the word she was groping for.
“Incredible,” she said. “Incredible!”
PineCone Vision is still accepting used eyeglasses for an upcoming trip. They can be dropped off at the clinic located at 2180 Troop Drive just off of Pinecone Road S. in Sartell. Volunteers will be accepted to help determine the prescription parameters for the pairs of glasses. To find out more, call PineCone Vision at 320-258-3915.
Dr. Nicholas Colatrella examines the eyes of a nun in Panama.
A mother waits with pride and hope as Dr. Stacy Hinkemeyer measures her daughter’s eyes for a pair of glasses she will receive.
Tony Colatrella, 10, takes a well-deserved hammock siesta after helping out at one of the eye-care clinics in Panama.
There was some time for a bit of sightseeing during the VOSH team’s trip to bring the gift of vision to so many people in Panama. Alice Colatrella, 13, and her mother, Dr. Stacy Hinkemeyer, paid a visit to the world-famous Panama Canal (in background).
