Eye screening

Every week for over a month I've been helping with eye screening.  This is held off ship on Monday mornings and I've been a part of the security team.  We basically go to assist with the line of patients and help answer questions and direct people where to go.  Usually I stand at the gate and smile at people as they enter.  Occasionally someone is naughty and likes to sneak in, but usually we can catch them and send them back in line since everyone else has been waiting hours to be seen.  Yesterday I was able to go out into the crowd and using a translator tell the crowd waiting the things that we are here to do.  The problem is that people line up to see what is going on, and to get help for many things that aren't eye problems.  Even when we announce what we are doing most continue to stand in line just in case.  Everyone is screened by nurses and those we can help are given cards to go see the doctor.  It is easy to imagine that we could separate those that need us and those that don't.  However, every week there is at least one that I want to run to the front of the line and help.  Last week a lady was brought inside by her son.  He sat her down in front of me on a bench and went to stand in line for her. After awhile I went over and said hello.  As I sat down she began to tell me about the first screening and how she was at the gate.  I never doubted her words because she knew exactly what had happened in detail at the gate.  After her story she laid her hand on my arm and told me "that one man even died there"  This woman had no idea that I was there or how that man has impacted my life since that day.  She also never asked me for anything.  It is sometimes hard to get to know someone simply because a lot of people just want something from you.  Not just here in West Africa but in every country.  We tend to develope relationships based on what we can gain from it.  Networking is a polite way to put it.  This woman just told me of her experience and waited patiently while hundreds of people walked in front of her to see the dr.  I believe that people are placed in our lives for a reason.  Not everyone.  It can't happen every day, every moment because it wouldn't mean the same thing, but sometimes something just speaks to you that you have to do something.  It happend a few weeks ago to me during the second screening.  A boy was told that we couldn't help him and off he went with his dad.  The entire time they screener was examining him and talking I wanted to cut in and beg her to let them through.  The reason that he was turned away was valid, and most likely there wasn't anything that we could have helped with, but I've thought of him often.  There isn't a dramatic ending to my story with the lady from eye screening.  She waited her turn and was given a card to see the dr.  While she waited though she told her son all about me and when she crossed over to stand in the line waiting to see the doctor she patted me on the butt to show me her card.  Ignoring the patting my butt part I was very glad to see her with a white card.  Since it is hot in line and there is no place to sit, we wanted to move this lady forward in line.  Around the corner was a place to sit comfortably while she waited so we moved her forward.  A few others also wanted to help her after hearing me telling her story, and no one else in line seemed to mind this older woman moving forward.  Usually I like to follow the rules and keep things fair, but like I said, every once in awhile you have to do something.  There is no ending for this story.  If we were able to help her she was given a card to come to the ship at the begining of May for surgery.  If she didin't need help she wasn't given a card to come to the ship.  I wasn't able to stay the whole day and have no idea the outcome of her visit with the dr.  She knows my name and knows to ask for me if she comes to the ship. I'm sure everyone is wondering why I just told an extremly long story without a real ending, but hopefully in a month we'll have an ending.  I'll let you know :)