Remember Jason? Rainbow Missions raised $4,700 USD for his eye removal surgery in less than a month. When I first heard the news of Jason’s eye situation in early May, I was worried we didn’t have enough budget to help Jason. With the help of our generous donors, we were able to send sufficient money to cover the cost of his surgery.
In June, I went to China for a short term service trip. It was a meaningful and unforgettable trip for me especially because I had the opportunity to meet with Jason and his father. It was only the second time I met Jason. I first met him two years ago in his hometown. He was the sweetest and the most cheerful boy I have ever met. He loved singing and his voice was beautiful. Since then, he has grown much taller and his voice has gotten deeper. He didn’t look as cheerful as before and I suspect it was because of the eye surgery. He said he no longer felt pain from the wound, but said that he was still getting used to his new eye.
The morning before we met, Jason went to a check-up at the hospital. His doctor said he was recovering extremely fast and he was already well settled with his artificial eye. Jason had been resting at home since his surgery in May. His school provided him with all his homework and textbooks to take home so he could catch up on his studies. Jason wrote a letter in Braille to thank his sponsors and his father translated the following to us:
Dearest Rainbow Missions’ Uncles and Aunties,
Greetings! My name is Jason Zhao and I have been supported by you all along. I am writing to express my appreciation for all of your emergency help. Your financial support has enabled me to study in good conditions although I was blind since I was very young. With your generous help, I successfully had an eye removal surgery and ocular prosthesis implanted in my right eye on May 8th. I have longed for a pair of beautiful eyes for as long as I could remember even though the eye is non-functional. Now, I will gently touch my eye everyday while thinking of your kindness. I promise that I will study hard and not let you down. When I grow up, I hope to be able to help others as you have helped me.Sincerely,
Jason Zhao
We had a wonderful time talking and getting updates about his recovery. After we had lunch, Jason and his father took a train back to their hometown which was more than 300 miles away from where we stayed. It took him a half day to travel back home.
This month, he will be back in school and is on track for going into the next grade level despite having gone through so many difficult circumstances the past year.
It’s great to have a chance to extend our hands to reach out and help visually impaired students like Jason. There are many children/youth with disabilities who live in poverty and need financial support for urgent medical needs. All the students we sponsor have great financial needs and without your support, would not receive an education. On top of that, if our students encounter any sort of medical emergency like that of Jason’s, they would have to face the difficult decision of choosing between their education and their wellbeing. This is exactly what the Emergency Fund Program is for. The Emergency Fund Program has already helped some of our sponsored students pay their medical expenses. We thank you for all that you’ve given to help our students in times of medical emergencies. They are truly blessed. Please continue to support this Emergency Fund Program so that the people with disabilities can receive the help they need in a timely way.
~~~ By Kery Wong ~~~
Jason 的感謝
還記得 Jason 嗎? 彩虹工程為他的眼球摘除手術，在一個月時間內籌得 $4,700 美元。當我在五月初知道Jason眼睛的情況，我有點擔心機構沒有足夠金錢幫助他，但因為很多慷慨捐助人的愛心相助，我們有足夠的款項幫助他完成手術。
一個多月後，我到中國短期服務，這對我來說不但有意義，也很難忘，特別是我有機會見到Jason和他的爸爸。這是我第二次探訪Jason，第一次在兩年前，我探訪了他的家鄉。那時候，他是一個可愛和開朗的男孩，他很喜歡唱歌，歌聲也很美。而這一次的見面，他長高了很多，聲音也變得比較低沉，畢竟他已是一個十四歲的青少年了。我感覺他好像沒有以往那麼開朗，可能因為剛做手術不久，心靈經歷了一些苦難，所以變得沉默。但我很開心知道他已經沒有感到痛楚，但要適應新的眼睛。
見面之前，他去了醫院覆診，醫生說他的手術康復特別快速，人造眼球也很合適。Jason手術後在家休學了兩個月，學校十分體恤他的情況，允許他在家學習和做家課，以至他能跟上進度，順利升級。他用盲文寫了一封信感謝叔叔阿姨(你們)的幫助，他的爸爸為我們翻譯了以下的內容：
尊敬的彩虹工程的叔叔阿姨，
您們好，我是您們一直以來資助的學生趙 Jason, 在此我特別感謝您們對我的資助，因為有了您們的資助，我才能在那麼好的環境下學習知識，領略書的魅力。如果沒有您們的幫助，我就不會有機會學習、成長。因我自幼雙目失明，雙眼已經嚴重委縮、變形，在您們的資助下，於今年5月8日完成了左眼的手術。叔叔阿姨您們知道嗎? 從我懂事以後，我就一直希望能夠有雙漂亮的眼球，那怕看不見也無所謂，現在我每天都會小心翼翼的去摸摸這漂亮的眼球，每次一觸碰到它，都會讓我想起彩虹工程的叔叔阿姨們，為此我特別感謝您們。今後我會更加的努力學習，不辜負您們的關心和幫助，長大以後也要像叔叔阿姨一樣去幫助關心有需要的人。此致，敬祝
趙Jason
我們有很美好的時間一同傾談和午餐，飯後他們父子二人要坐高鐵回家，他們住在三百多里外的小鎮，要大半天時間才能到家。不論Jason在過去面對多大的困難，他現在已經回到學校開始新一年的學習。
能夠有機會去幫助好像Jason一樣的失明學生，是一件十分美好的事情。其實有很多貧窮的殘障孩童/青年需要經濟支援。我們資助的學生都有很大的經濟需要，若是沒有你的幫助，他們就沒有機會接受教育。又或是當他們好像Jason一樣，需要緊急醫療救援，他們就要面對在學業與健康之間作出選擇，這就是彩虹工程設立緊急扶助基金的主要目的。這個扶助基金已經幫助了數位同學的醫藥費用，以至他們不用因為支付了醫藥費就再沒有機會繼續上學。我們感謝你在學生們有需要時及時幫助，他們真是備受祝福的孩子。我誠意的邀請你們繼續支持緊急扶助基金，使有需要的殘障孩子得到及時的幫助。
~~~ 作者: 黃安琪~~~