Dear Sights on Health family & friends,

Happy Holidays! 2022 has been a busy year for Sights on Health as we celebrated our TENTH ANNIVERSARY. Below are the year’s highlights…

On our 10th Anniversary trip to Calca, Peru. Our first after the pandemic. We screened over 90 patients and took 50 of them to the operating room to give them back one of the 5 senses we take for granted every morning when we open our eyes… sight. Every member of the team dedicated not only their vacation time but also their hard earned cash to fund their participation. Even then, and with close to $70,000 of donated cataract surgical supplies from Alcon & Surgical EyeExpeditions, Sights On Health with the assistance of our generous donors, spends more than $24,000 to help those less fortunate. Last but not least we wanted to give a shout out to our very gracious supporters for all you do for us to make this mission possible!

This 10 yr old dreamer was born at 28 weeks. Has some visual difficulties but also could not hear. Only a month ago did he finally get a hearing aid. His dream now is to be a physician to help others. When his mom, a translator for our team found out the Michael Sable, our super-surgeon, also had hearing aids, she wanted him to meet her son.

This moment was even more impactful than the surgeries that we were performing.

A 10 yr old child, from rural Peru… with no role modelsespecially none that wore hearing aids, to finally find someone he now considers HIS HERO… a doctor… just like the one he wants to be is LIFE CHANGING.

He now wears a white coat everyday to role play. Wears the stethoscope we gave him and talks about being like Dr Mike all day long. Also, Michael is keeping in touch via WhatsApp with Valentin.

Sometimes we change lives in a very palpable way, by giving people their sight back. Other times we get to do what only others dream of doing… INSPIRE.

When we support organizations like Sights On Health, we not only give people renewed hope, once in a while we inspire people to become that hope for others.

Thank you for donating and supporting us.

A dozen obstacles overcome and another dozen of patients DONE! Restored sight to 12 very special patients! And our very first patient of this mission came back for her next day follow up! Look at that smile! Thank you to all of our supporters. With your kindness we can really help those less fortunate!

Day 2 Pre-op evaluations and sterilization area This is a great team!

Day 3 – Smooth day in the OR but so many patients evaluated today in the screening area! It was a wild day of bus loads of people coming in to be screened from mountain communities with NO resources! Shout out to our screening team! Dave Krebs, Ana, Jhon, Andy, Flo, George, Tatiana, Cipoletti, Vero, and Jessica! Bam Bam Bam! All taken care of!

Day 4 - in Calca, Peru. 88 patients evaluated and 50 patients went to the OR. There were some hairy times… and some great high fives. For all our past, present and future supporters… this is where your love lifts people up!!!

Shout out! – Today’s shout out goes to the administrative team that organizes this. Although we are but a small part of this whole organization, they work tirelessly year round to make this happen. Without our surgical team (mentioned on Tuesday) and our screening and registration team (mentioned on Weds) we would do nothing…

The admin team starts with Dr Debra Messina, our fearless president. Dr Joseph Ng, VP, Andy Maggiolo, Treasurer, Kenneth Roberts, Secretary, Dr George Coritsidis,Board Member, James Rienzo, Board Member, and Michael Sable Surgical Director. Dr. Frilo Silva from Cusco, Peru who has donated time and loaned us the equipment to make this possible and Dr Francisco Morales who, through his contacts helped spread the word and help us get our logistics planned out. FNE International, who was our boots on the ground who help cut through a lot of the bureaucracy.

Day 5 – It’s a wrap!!! We are done and packed as of early this afternoon… now to relax a bit, sight see and celebrate that we did some good in this world with all of our supporters help. Thank you all and see you all back home! 

 

 

 

SoH and Dr Morales In Collaboration with FNE international and CEPRECE-CUSCO … together, we are able to continue to make these endeavors possible since 2012. We thank them for their commitment to helping those in need.

“1983 –  George N. Coritsidis, of Southold, NY, is the program director of critical care nephrology at Westchester Medical Center. In addition, he volunteers his time on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization, Sights on Health, Inc. The nonprofit provides medical care, eye care, and eye surgery to those in need in South America and also on one of the Indian Reservations in South Dakota. Health care professionals and students from across the USA, volunteer their time and expertise, including Claire E. Triller ’20, who traveled to Peru as a third-year medical student several years ago for a medical mission. During the pandemic, they have provided financial support for medical and surgical supplies to the groups they have worked with in the past, as they have not traveled out of the country due to the COVID travel restrictions upon re-entering the USA. After receiving a letter from his roommate at Upstate, Bob Dracker ’82, regarding the Ukrainian war and medical support, they talked over the phone about doing something. This led to forming a team to bicycle over 42 miles through the five boroughs of NYC on May. 1. A total of $37,068.83 was raised. These funds have been donated to Project Hope to purchase lnteragency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs), and other medical supplies for Ukraine. These IEHKs are designed to meet the initial primary health care needs of displaced populations in areas with no access  to medical facilities. The funds raised provided medical support to 40,000 Ukrainians for three months. Sights on Health plans to resume its interna-tional medical and surgical missions in early 2023. They are always looking for physicians, medical students, and healthcare providers to volunteer their time and expertise. Please feel free to email sight-sonhealth@gmail.com for further information.

Great News!

Sights on Health, Inc. is celebrating its ten-year anniversary since their first cataract surgical mission to Peru by returning to Calca in the Sacred Valley, October 14-23, 2022 for its first cataract surgical mission since the start of the pandemic.

• It will be a smaller group than in years past- a team of 13 people will transport via commercial airlines donated surgical supplies for 50 sight restoring surgeries, along with equipment to set up a portable eye clinic and operating room in a local health outpost in the remote village of Calca in the Sacred Valley, Peru.

• Sights on Health is working with the Peruvian Ministry of Health, FNE International, Asociacion Winaypaq, Ceprece -Cusco Eye Clinic, Yanapana Peru, Alcon & Surgical Eye Expeditions to provide sight restorative cataract surgery to the underserved indigenous population, free of charge.

• Pre-screening by our Peruvian team for surgical patients in remote villages in the Andes Mountains has already begun.

• We are accepting monetary donations to purchase specific surgical supplies still needed. All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you in advance to our supporters who enable Sights on Health to give the gift of sight.

Donate

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for additional information.

Great News!

Sights on Health, Inc. is celebrating its ten-year anniversary since their first cataract surgical mission to Peru by returning to Calca in the Sacred Valley, October 14-23, 2022 for its first cataract surgical mission since the start of the pandemic.

• It will be a smaller group than in years past- a team of 13 people will transport via commercial airlines donated surgical supplies for 50 sight restoring surgeries, along with equipment to set up a portable eye clinic and operating room in a local health outpost in the remote village of Calca in the Sacred Valley, Peru.

• Sights on Health is working with the Peruvian Ministry of Health, FNE International, Asociacion Winaypaq, Ceprece -Cusco Eye Clinic, Yanapana Peru, Alcon & Surgical Eye Expeditions to provide sight restorative cataract surgery to the underserved indigenous population, free of charge.

• Pre-screening by our Peruvian team for surgical patients in remote villages in the Andes Mountains has already begun.

• We are accepting monetary donations to purchase specific surgical supplies still needed. All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you in advance to our supporters who enable Sights on Health to give the gift of sight.

Donate

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for additional information.

Dear friends and supporters of Sights on Health,

Sights on Health has formed a team to bicycle 42 miles through the five boroughs of NYC on May 1st as part of the annual 5 Boro Bike Tour.  Help us raise money to provide much-needed medical supplies to the people suffering in Ukraine and any donation will help make an impact. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to organizations vetted by Sights on Health who are on the ground in Ukraine and its neighboring countries actively supplying medical supplies and support.

It seems the world continues to present all of us with one crisis after another these past few years and with an increased frequency and intensity. When we started the nonprofit organization ten years ago, our mission was committed to providing quality, compassionate care for those whose geographical and/or social status limit their access to medical care. None of us would have envisioned the need to provide medical assistance to a country such as Ukraine. Where their people are experiencing death, destruction & devastation from an invasion by a neighboring country.   Want to join us in making a difference?Support our bike riders as they cycle 42 miles for the Ukrainian people’s plight… any donation will help make an impact.

About Us: Sights on Health, Inc. is committed to providing quality, compassionate care for those whose geographical and/or social status limit their access to medical care. A dedicated group of physicians & health professionals from across the U.S.A., along with allied healthcare students volunteer their time to provide free medical care, eye care, and eye surgery to those in need in the U.S.A. and abroad. Sights on Health, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Sights on Health has a team for the NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour on Sunday, May 1st.  Join in the fun & camaraderie.… check out John Vogel (below) , one of our team members, he has already started his training for the 40 mile bike ride. Register at here!

Sign up deadline: March 15, when registering select the join the team option, Sights on Health is listed.