The Taveuni Eye team arrived on time at 7.30am this morning to be greeted by the large crowd of those people operated on yesterday. Every spare seat and bench were occupied with patients with dressings and sunglasses ready to have their sight restored. A lot of chatter as people compared the results of cataract and pterygium removal.
Today we tell not only of some individual stories but also a great photographic record provided by Rotarian Khatija Bi (Naaz) Jalil and we thank her for her contribution.
Patient Stories from Today:
Jotivimi Wati is from the beautiful island of Qamea. When she arrived at the hospital yesterday, travelling in an open boat across the 40 minutes of ocean between her home and Taveuni, she was almost blind. This morning after her dressings were removed, she was almost dancing around the hospital. That is a bit of an exaggeration as she is in a wheelchair, but you get my meaning!
She lives with her husband Ilisoni who is a retired schoolteacher from Laucala island. They have 9 children, 2 boys and 7 girls. Eight children are married and 1 is still at school in Lautoka. She and her husband will return home on Saturday.
Lino Tikoisuva is a handsome young man from Bouma (click this link to read more of Bouma). He has two sisters and two brothers, and he lives with his family. He was educated at Holy Cross secondary school. In 2014 he had an unfortunate accident while playing Rugby and injured his left eye. He tells me that his eyesight is getting poorer each year and he is hoping our surgeons can do something for him. I will report tomorrow on his progress.
Lino is a farmer and in conversation was telling me of the poor prices being paid for his produce of Dalo and Yaqona (from which Kava is made). He blames the ‘middleman’ for taking too much commission. He is being paid $30 a kilo for 3-year-old yaqona, much less than 2 years ago.
Today’s Statistics
