Blog by Justine Spencer Earlier this year, I had the privilege of accompanying my father, Dr. Martin Spencer, on his trip to Nepal and Cambodia. In Nepal we visited many cities where Seva supports eye care hospitals and centers: Kathmandu, Tansen, Baratpur, Butwal, Parosi, and Lumbini Eye Institute in Bhairahawa, to name a few. As a 20-year-old university student, I don’t have any expertise to offer the program and I didn’t come in with much knowledge of how an NGO is run. After attending many meetings and seeing with my own eyes how the programs work, I began to understand. Along with the understanding, came a deep respect and admiration for Seva and its mission. I always knew Seva was doing good work, but its one thing to know and quite another to feel. At every hospital we visited, my father was greeted not simply as an ophthalmologist who had worked with them 12 years previous, but as a friend. Although it was more than that -- they revered him! He was offered not only hugs and handshakes, but gifts and garlands of fragrant magnolias that were placed around his neck with a beaming smile. The training he had offered the local hospital staff so many years ago have had profound effects on the program, and they were understandably appreciative. Sometimes it’s hard to look past the big picture of Seva’s amazing projects and undertakings. But I think it’s important to remember that it all comes down to the patients. Every patient has a story. The stories are unique, but there are trends I observed among patients that are hard to miss: many arrive blind and, as a result, expressionless. Their interactions are cold. The next day they can see and it’s the closest thing I’ve witnessed to a miracle. They are suddenly glowing with warmth and overflowing with emotion: joy, gratitude, relief, and all areas in between. I can’t imagine what that would feel like, but I feel very fortunate to have been able to see this happen, to feel it. I also feel fortunate to have been able to interview some patients and hear their stories. It is the best way I can communicate to the rest of the world how it feels to witness this miracle.

Justine Spencer with Mr. RP Kandel of Seva Nepal, interviewing a cataract patient prior to her surgery