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Borneo was a homecoming of sorts for Dr. Haines, as he had lived in this region of the world from 1951 through 1960. Indeed, when the local press learned that he was a former resident who had been born in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, they trumpeted up this news on the front page in the Sabah Times.
Borneo represented the first collaborative effort between Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE International) and the Raleigh Group of Great Britain. The Raleigh Venturers are a very idealistic, enthusiastic youth group that has spent three months in volunteer service much like our Peace Corps. The Raleigh Venturers screened 160 local villages producing 1,700 potential patients. Of these, the medical personnel selected over 100 to come to the local hospital in Ranau for final screening by the SEE International team.
The SEE team consisted of Dr. Harry Easom of Milwaukee, and Dr. John Haines. Accompanying the team were Lisa Worthen and Jody Arcularius, C.O.T.
Final screening produced just over 60 patients. Again, the team worked 12 to 14 hours a day over three days to correct the conditions of pterygium and cataract in this population. Support for SEE International was provided by the General Electric Fund and Rayban Sunglasses. This provided a unique, amusing appearance with the local natives wearing donated Rayban sunglasses after their eye surgery.
One very heart warming case was a little Indian boy, who had been blind from birth from congenital cataracts. He saw his parents and family for the first time. The emotion spread throughout the medical staff as this happy scene unfolded before us.
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