 |
|
 |
| Drs. John H. Haines and William Spangler help a Thai woman see again. |
|
Using tools at hand, Dr. Haines checks a patient before surgery. |
Leprosy is a disease cloaked in fear and misconceptions dating back to Biblical times. These attitudes persist today despite modern antibiotics, which render the afflicted no longer contagious after one dose, and virtually cured with adequate treatment. The McKean Leprosy Colony was founded in the early 1900 by an American using pre-antibiotic medicine. It continues today with the descendants of the original colony isolated from society in Chaing Mai.
Our Mission was to serve the vision impaired among the Lepers. The medical director, Dr. Trevor Smith, an Australian missionary, met us. Dr. Smith had raised his family for the past twenty-five years in the colony.
The Oregon team consisted of Dr. John Haines, Dr. William Spangler, Jodi Arcularius, Sue Joseph, Lisa Worthen, Paul Haines and Diane Spangler.
Thirty-nine sight-restoring cataract surgeries were performed in one week’s time. The disfigured Lepers wept with joy and gratitude as their sightless world was replaced with the splendor of vision.
Dr. Spangler and Dr. Haines lectured at the medical school on surgical techniques, but more importantly, a relationship between McKean Leper Colony and the medical school was established. The ancient taboos broken, the lepers could now count on continued care through the medical school.
The Eye Center would like to thank our patients and friends in Oregon for their continued support. Your letters, expressions of encouragement, and commitment to The Eye Center allow us to do this work.
|
