Luis' - The Retina Project
Spende geschützt
This is my Retina Project... "Let's see"...
Este es mi projecto "The Retina Project".
Soy paciente de desprendimiento de retina en ambos ojos. Mi ojo derecho se salvó por una operación láser, pero el izquiero sigue luchando luego de la operación "Scleral Buckle".
Esto me ha impedido volver a trabajar a tiempo completo, no porque no quiera, sino porque no puedo leer más de una hora corrida sin detenerme un rato y a los patronos no les gusta acá.
Mientras estoy trabajando a tiempo parcial, tu ayuda me es imprescindible para pagar lo que debo y lo que viene. Tu ayuda me permite crear la página online para que sepan que estas enfermedades visuales son silenciosas y tienen que chequearse.
APÓYAME en este esfuerzo. Será de beneficio para todos con theretinaproject (.org). ¡Vamos a ver!
(ENGLISH)
I'm a journalist "in pause" since I came to Chicago a year and a half ago. I want to go back to that soon and I'm trying to.
Months ago I started to see different, literally. I saw what seemed to be a bubble was part of my sight through my left eye. I didn't have health insurance, so I waited until half of the vision was blurry.
I moved to Rogers Park, Chicago, and close to my studio found an optometrist. After saving some money I went to the appointment. The assistant was frustrated and worried because she couldn't "read" how much vision I had on my left eye with all the machines in the office.
They took a picture of both eyes' retina. Surprisingly, although I kind of knew that there was a retinal detachment on my left eye, it was the right eye (the one I can see with using glasses) the one that worried the doctor. The retinal detachment on that eye wasn't a full one and was about to expand. It was an emergency that I didn't know because this is a silent issue.
She recommended me to visit an Ophthalmologist that specializes in retinal detachment, but the appointment, just for evaluation, was $400. So they referred me to the Eye Center of the Rush University Medical Center and in less than two weeks I was in the operating room in the first surgery ever in my life.
Resident Doctor Saveri and specialist Pauline Merrill saved my right eye and stopped, for now, the retinal detachment on my right eye with a laser surgery (extremely expensive, by the way). Now we're dealing with 3 new small holes they found on that eye and in June we will see. The same day of the emergency appointment, like at 6:00 PM, I was in front of the laser machine "sealing the bubble". I didn't expect that. I was by myself. The snow was there waiting for me to come outside of the hospital with my pupils dilated. It was an adventure coming back home on the train.
Weeks later they did the "Scleral Buckle" surgery, with which the opened the eye "cover", put a freezing agent to try to reattach the retina to the back of the eye, and after that they put a permanent buckle around the eye that squeezes the eye in order the make the bubble or the broken part of the retina disappear.
I will tell you later about the scary surgery, the general anesthesia, when the intubated me. The reactions of my friends, that took care of me that day and after, were unforgettable; just like mine.
The recovery process has been long. I lost my main job with an online financial institution because I had to work 10.5 hours, 8.5 reading and writing to meet the goal of loans approved or denied. It was logical that I couldn't do that at the moment. But know I have a job that helps me, with a lawyer that has become a friend. But I really need to work more and that's why I need you help with this project.
Since I can only read and write for short periods of time, creating "The Retina Project" is now my passion.
I need to do something to let people know about this silent illness. Most of us are used to visit the optometrist, but not everyone takes the time or has the money to have all the exams, like the retinal picture. Some health insurances don't cover it and it's expensive. Here in Chicago the first set of images was about $200.
My idea is to start with websites and social media and later create a non for profit organization that can help pay for those exams and education for everyone.
I got the domains (.com and .org) and social media accounts in Facebook and Twitter. Now I need your support to get back on my feet (personally, financially) and with this project.
I don't want myopic people, diabetics and persons with this in their genes to lose their sight just because they don't have the money for a complete exam.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Este es mi projecto "The Retina Project".
Soy paciente de desprendimiento de retina en ambos ojos. Mi ojo derecho se salvó por una operación láser, pero el izquiero sigue luchando luego de la operación "Scleral Buckle".
Esto me ha impedido volver a trabajar a tiempo completo, no porque no quiera, sino porque no puedo leer más de una hora corrida sin detenerme un rato y a los patronos no les gusta acá.
Mientras estoy trabajando a tiempo parcial, tu ayuda me es imprescindible para pagar lo que debo y lo que viene. Tu ayuda me permite crear la página online para que sepan que estas enfermedades visuales son silenciosas y tienen que chequearse.
APÓYAME en este esfuerzo. Será de beneficio para todos con theretinaproject (.org). ¡Vamos a ver!
(ENGLISH)
I'm a journalist "in pause" since I came to Chicago a year and a half ago. I want to go back to that soon and I'm trying to.
Months ago I started to see different, literally. I saw what seemed to be a bubble was part of my sight through my left eye. I didn't have health insurance, so I waited until half of the vision was blurry.
I moved to Rogers Park, Chicago, and close to my studio found an optometrist. After saving some money I went to the appointment. The assistant was frustrated and worried because she couldn't "read" how much vision I had on my left eye with all the machines in the office.
They took a picture of both eyes' retina. Surprisingly, although I kind of knew that there was a retinal detachment on my left eye, it was the right eye (the one I can see with using glasses) the one that worried the doctor. The retinal detachment on that eye wasn't a full one and was about to expand. It was an emergency that I didn't know because this is a silent issue.
She recommended me to visit an Ophthalmologist that specializes in retinal detachment, but the appointment, just for evaluation, was $400. So they referred me to the Eye Center of the Rush University Medical Center and in less than two weeks I was in the operating room in the first surgery ever in my life.
Resident Doctor Saveri and specialist Pauline Merrill saved my right eye and stopped, for now, the retinal detachment on my right eye with a laser surgery (extremely expensive, by the way). Now we're dealing with 3 new small holes they found on that eye and in June we will see. The same day of the emergency appointment, like at 6:00 PM, I was in front of the laser machine "sealing the bubble". I didn't expect that. I was by myself. The snow was there waiting for me to come outside of the hospital with my pupils dilated. It was an adventure coming back home on the train.
Weeks later they did the "Scleral Buckle" surgery, with which the opened the eye "cover", put a freezing agent to try to reattach the retina to the back of the eye, and after that they put a permanent buckle around the eye that squeezes the eye in order the make the bubble or the broken part of the retina disappear.
I will tell you later about the scary surgery, the general anesthesia, when the intubated me. The reactions of my friends, that took care of me that day and after, were unforgettable; just like mine.
The recovery process has been long. I lost my main job with an online financial institution because I had to work 10.5 hours, 8.5 reading and writing to meet the goal of loans approved or denied. It was logical that I couldn't do that at the moment. But know I have a job that helps me, with a lawyer that has become a friend. But I really need to work more and that's why I need you help with this project.
Since I can only read and write for short periods of time, creating "The Retina Project" is now my passion.
I need to do something to let people know about this silent illness. Most of us are used to visit the optometrist, but not everyone takes the time or has the money to have all the exams, like the retinal picture. Some health insurances don't cover it and it's expensive. Here in Chicago the first set of images was about $200.
My idea is to start with websites and social media and later create a non for profit organization that can help pay for those exams and education for everyone.
I got the domains (.com and .org) and social media accounts in Facebook and Twitter. Now I need your support to get back on my feet (personally, financially) and with this project.
I don't want myopic people, diabetics and persons with this in their genes to lose their sight just because they don't have the money for a complete exam.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Organisator
Luis Alberto González
Organisator
Chicago, IL
