[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16920-16921]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE CHIAPAS MISSION FOR SIGHT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you this evening in 
recognition of the extraordinary work and tireless efforts of Dr. 
Tracey Lewis, Dr. Judith Simon and the Chiapas Mission for Sight.
  Dr. Tracey Lewis, in particular, is a constituent in my district, a 
dear friend as well as an exemplary individual, and she has chosen to 
lend her expertise and talent towards a very noble cause. I urge my 
fellow colleagues to take a moment to acknowledge the invaluable 
service that the Chiapas Mission for Sight has offered to countless 
individuals in one particular developing region of the world.
  The Chiapas Mission for Sight aims to provide primary eye care and 
surgery to the native Indian living in Ocotepec, Chiapas, Mexico. Thus 
far, they have completed three successful missions, and as a direct 
result, hundreds of individuals in dire need of eye care and treatment 
have received proper medical attention. Originally a branch of the 
Chiapas Project of Newton, New Jersey, and funded in part by the Rotary 
Club of Newton, this year the ophthalmology group has grown and formed 
its own mission dedicated solely to vision care.
  The group's focus is providing medical service to the population of

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Ocotepec and the surrounding villages, which exceeds 1 million people. 
Of this population, many suffer from blinding cataracts, which is a 
problem inherent to Ocotepec and its surrounding villages, because of 
the exposure to significant sunlight and very poor nutrition. The 
nearest town, Tuxtla, Gutierrez, is a 4-hour drive, and sadly, the 
natives of the village earn less in 1 year than what it would cost to 
travel to Tuxtla to undergo cataract surgery.
  Oftentimes short-staffed, with donated medical and surgical supplies, 
the volunteers work around the clock to provide the natives the medical 
attention they so desperately need. Lack of funding has not deterred 
Tracey Lewis or the organization what it can to accomplish its goals. 
In fact, every doctor and most of the volunteers cover their own 
expenses, making their mission all the more charitable. On the last 
mission, the group examined over 400 patients with significant eye 
disease, and due to limitations in staffing, surgery was triaged and 
performed only on those fully blind in both eyes.
  Currently, the Chiapas Mission is seeking volunteers who will be 
trained to perform vision screening and assist in the operating room. 
These volunteers will travel with the group and serve as assistants to 
the doctors.
  In this remote region, plagued by poor hygiene and lack of proper 
medical and dental care, Tracey Lewis has quickly realized that a 
little does go a very long way. Inspired to take on this cause by her 
9-year-old son, Tracey has demonstrated a remarkable ability to not 
only take on such a Herculean challenge, but to enthuse so many 
volunteers to do the same.
  Today, as we discuss health disparities within the United States, it 
is imperative that we are also aware of the stark disparities between 
our country and regions around the world. In this age of scientific 
discovery and medical advancements, it is unfortunate that those in 
developing countries are not able to reap the benefits of modern 
medicine.
  As we in Congress hear about these numerous volunteers that travel to 
remote villages and devote themselves to the restoration of vision to 
the blind people living there, let us rededicate ourselves to ensuring 
that every man, woman and child all around the world, including the 
United States, not go another day without proper primary care and 
adequate medical assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, once again, I commend the Chiapas Mission for Sight as 
it provides a shining example of the impact individuals can make 
through self-sacrifice and goodwill. Assisting those living in poor 
conditions with critical medical treatment truly demonstrates what can 
be done through benevolence and hard work.

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