Lauren Hollister

I recently traveled to the town of Kimbe on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea with my father in order to see the Fred Hollows Foundation eye clinic that my "Walking for Sight" project helped fund. Out of everywhere I've been in my life, Papua New Guinea was the most different. It was strange coming from my world of malls, cinemas and restaurants while in PNG most people barely survive growing or hunting their own food. It's difficult for them to even reach Kimbe market, the main town, for they have to walk a few kilometres from their village to the main road and then catch several buses. As the eye clinic is also located in Kimbe, they often face the same challenges in getting there.

However, before the clinic was built, having your eyes checked and operated on was unlikely. Since the Kimbe Eye Clinic was built, many people have already received operations. The doctor and nurses working at the clinic go on outreach missions as well, often hours by sea or overland on challenging roads, and help those in remote areas. It is difficult to fully communicate the hardships and challenges the Fred Hollows team endures ever day to help improve the lives of others.

Lindsay Dewhurst – the lead nurse whose passion led to the development of the clinic – was our guide. She picked us up Tuesday morning from our hotel and droves us to the Kimbe Hospital. I was not expecting what I saw; in New Zealand you would never guess these series of buildings were a hospital. People were sitting outside on the grassy courtyards between the different medical buildings and windows were fitted only with a screen, there is no air-conditioning in any of these rooms, and inside people is battling life threatening conditions such as tuberculosis and serious knife wounds.

But at the back of the hospital was a beautiful white building with flowers woven through the rails of the porch. Above the wooden doors were the words: Eye Clinic”. Stepping inside, it was just as nice. The floors were clean, the fans were on and the smiles were friendly. I walked around this brand new eye clinic and was very impressed. One of the patients, a man named Gideon, stood up and shook my hand. He was very happy to be there for he was having his left eye operated on to remove cataracts. He had already had his right fixed and had been blind prior to the operation. After this, his sight would be fully restored. This would enable him to go back to his small business driving a PMV (Public Motor Vehicle, basically an open-air bus taxi) He was so grateful and of such good cheer, I almost cried.

My father and I changed into surgical gowns and were actually allowed into the operating theatre to watch Dr Mark Wood perform several surgeries. Recently arrived from Tanzania, Dr Wood has dedicated his life to improving vision for thousands of people. Lindsay had worked with Dr Wood in Africa and she convinced him to come to the new eye clinic. It was amazing to see his deft movements and the speed of the cataracts surgery that in a matter of minutes delivers the miracle of sight.

The first patient was a ninety-year-old man accompanied by his grand-daughter. He had been blind for nearly eight years! Unfortunately, one of his eyes was in such poor shape that the damage was permanent. However, there was hope for the other eye. The next day when the bandage was removed, he told Dr Wood he still couldn’t see. This would not last for Lindsay would later tell my father and me that he recovered and could walk around without any assistance. I loved hearing about his progress and about how happy he was to see again.

After seeing several bandages removed on Wednesday, Dr Wood, Lindsay and several nurses, as well as my father and I were off on an outreach mission. There was a small village approximately 20 kilometres away that was expecting us. After arriving, the villagers welcomed us by chanting a song and draping leis over our foreheads, which is apparently a great honour. Everyone seemed so grateful for what the Fred Hollows Foundation was doing, and I felt proud to be involved.

Among the people who needed their eyes checked were elderly people, most likely all of who were parents and grandparents. It occurred to me that once they had their operations, they would be able to see their loved ones again. They would be able to easily walk again and be able to work. They would be able to experience the natural beauty of their country again, just as I’ve had the privilege to see so much through hiking the Great Walks and visiting New Britain. I felt a great sense of comfort knowing that even if small, I contributed to helping these people.

I commend the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ for all their work, both those located in the Auckland office and all of the doctors and nurses overseas. It was a rewarding experience to see the work firsthand in a place that needs so much help. I hope to play a role helping others for the rest of my life and I aim to stay involved with the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Imagine being blind for years and suddenly being able to see again.  Imagine being able to give someone that amazing gift of sight.

That's what Lauren Hollister hopes to achieve by walking the Great Walks of New Zealand to fundraise for The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ. 

Pioneering eye surgeon Fred Hollows had a vision of a world where no-one was needlessly blind.  He also had a passion for mountain climbing and the spectacular New Zealand landscape. He escaped into the mountains whenever he could.

Lauren's love of the outdoors and commitment to social responsibility has led her to climb her own mountain - raising $50,000 to equip the first eye clinic for the remote province of West New Britain in Papua New Guinea.

Lauren has been walking through the spectacular New Zealand scenery - from Lake Waikaremoana in the north to Stewart island in the south - to raise funds to equip the clinic and to fund desperately needed sight restoring surgery for this remote community of over 300,000.

Please help Lauren achieve her goal of raising $50,000.  Every $250 donation will restore sight to ten people in West New Britain. Watch Lauren's video (see below) and imagine never seeing such breathtaking scenery.

Donate here and help a blind person see!

See how sight restoring cataract surgery is already changing the lives of people in Papua New Guinea.

US donors: Read about tax deductible donations by US tax payers via the American Fund for Charities here

Great Walks of New Zealand