Newton August 2020

Before I arrived in Rwanda, Adam’s grandmother, Belancille, was seriously injured during a burglary attempt in her home. She lost the vision in her left eye.

In May when I went to Adam’s home to deliver his schoolwork packet and food, Belancille was trying to tell me something with a lot of gesturing to her eyes. Adam said “She’s telling you she needs to go to the doctor for her eyes,” Okay.

At the end of June when I was there delivering the second school packet and food, Belancille asked me to take her to the hospital so she can get her eyes checked. There clearly is something wrong with them. I told Adam she needs to go to the clinic and get her transfer papers, and I would come back the next week to pick them up and go to the hospital. Adam called me several times to confirm I was still going to take them to the hospital and the time I would arrive, 9 a.m.

The morning I was supposed to pick them up I was running late, and I was concerned Granny was going to be a little annoyed because this is really important to her. Well, when I arrived, she was not even ready to go and I was so relieved.

There is a lot of waiting at the local hospital. So after she got checked in for ophthalmology, Adam and I came back to the Village for a while. When we returned to the hospital, Belancille was finished and had another transfer to an eye hospital, which is far from us. It was translated to me that her problem is too difficult for them. There is a lot of dirt in her good eye. Dirt? I knew there was definitely a translation problem here.

So we made a plan to drive to the Kabgayi Eye Hospital the following week. Belancille promised me she would be ready on time, 6 a.m., because it would be a long drive; and yes, she was ready when I arrived the following week. And Medi and her grandmother were there, as well as the neighbor kids. The neighbor kids at 6 a.m.!

When we arrived at the eye hospital, Belancille went to a certain window and was waiting. Adam and I tried to tell her she needed to go to station one. She said, “No, first I have to get a photocopy of my ID.” It was obvious she knew what she was doing, so Adam and I stood away from it all in a sunbeam to warm up. It was a little chilly that day. The head of the hospital saw us and came over to introduce himself.

Adam and I sat in the waiting area while Belancille went through the different examination stations. We were also keeping an eye out—no pun intended—for Jenn whom we had not seen yet during our home visits. She was going to catch a bus and meet us at the hospital.

The doctor called me into the room after examining Belancille’s eyes and explained what the situation was. And that “dirt” is scar tissue from a previous cataract surgery. I asked her to explain to Adam also so he would understand what Granny is supposed to do with eye drops.

Glasses were prescribed but they are only going to improve her vision a little bit, so it was optional to buy them. Granny decided she wanted the glasses. The lens was not expensive based on her insurance category, but she would have to pay 100% for the frames. No, she’s not. She talked the man into giving her the frames for free! Now we know where Adam gets his winsome ways.

After sorting out a payment fiasco with the mobile money, we got in the car and drove home. When we arrived at their home, Belancille told Adam to tell me to come back in three weeks and check on her. I did and she is fine. Infections are gone.

Belancille always gives me eggs when I go to her house. Her hen lays some fabulous eggs. Adam explained one time they could only give me three eggs because if they take all the chicken’s eggs, she gets annoyed and starts laying them where they can’t find them. Maybe that’s why the chicken crossed the road.

Until next time...

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