Bringing eyecare to American Samoa

Spending some time in the tropics sounds attractive to many folks in Sisters Country about this time of year. Frank and Kathy Deggendorfer did just that November 20 through December 6, but this was no standard fun-in-the-sun vacation.

The Deggendorfers were part of a team bringing critical eyecare to the territory of American Samoa. The Sisters couple accompanied a team led by Dr. Devin Gattey from the Casey Eye Institute of the Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Gattey has been donating his time and skills around the world for many years. Dr. Gattey is a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who served in Nepal. With an interest in foreign cultures and solving the issue of curable blindness, Dr. Gattey has traveled extensively, teaching cataract surgery to medical professionals in developing countries.

The residents of American Samoa receive Medicaid due to their status as citizens of a U.S. territory. However, Kathy Deggendorfer said, "It's not the most seamless system, and there's a huge need for eyecare."

That care includes removal of cataracts and pterygium (fibrous growths in the eye). The team also treated eye injuries. American Samoa is considered one of the worst places in the world for the occurrence of pterygium (sometimes called surfers eye). Along with early-onset cataracts, its occurrence can be attributed to spending a lot of time outdoors in sunlight and water glare. Samoans do not usually wear sunglasses or hats, Deggendorfer notes.

"We worked everyday, seven days a week, just working with patients," said Deggendorfer.

The work ranged from helping to test patients for eye pressure and the like to simply talking with them and keeping them calm as they awaited surgery. Those conversations were among the remarkable experiences of the trip for Deggendorfer.

"In this situation, you get to really know people and what life is like for them," she said.

Medical facilities in American Samoa often make do with dated equipment, which is prone to breaking down. Frank Deggendorfer - known on the trip as "Dr. Frank" - was often called upon to tinker with equipment to get it up and running.

As an artist and an arts advocate, Deggendorfer also took a side trip to Western Samoa, which proved to be a profound experience. Using a teaching technique developed by Sisters artist Paul Allan Bennett, Deggendorfer taught portrait painting at a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Domestic violence and sexual exploitation is a serious problem in Samoa.

"Life in Samoa is very communal - which can be really lovely," Deggendorfer said.

But there is a dark side. Predators are part of the community.

"You're just vulnerable," Deggendorfer said. "There's no getting away. There's no locks on any doors."

Large extended families and communities will often turn a blind eye to incest or sexual abuse, and women who become pregnant in such circumstances are ostracized.

"The girls can never go back to their village," Deggendorfer said. "Not their fault, but they're the ones that are kicked out."

As is often the case, the girls' art became a self-portrait - one that reflected pain and rage, and a determination to move past both into a better future.

"It took me three days to stop crying," Deggendorfer said. "That's what art therapy does. It shows what's going on in their lives. The images that they produced just showed so much pain and so much violence."

The Deggendorfers also experienced the beautiful side of a culture that is welcoming, hospitable and loving.

"They just have a joy for life," Kathy said.

This is the Deggendorfers' second trip with Dr. Gattey. Last year they went on a similar medical mission to Fiji.

It is hoped that something more than a medical mission will grow out of the endeavor.

"In the end, what OHSU and Casey Eye Institute want to do is create an outpost (in American Samoa)," Kathy said.

The couple encourage others to undertake this kind of effort.

"I would highly recommend anybody doing a medical mission if you've got the time," she said. "You get an experience that can't be replicated in any way."

She is also excited about communicating to Sisters students about the kind of opportunities that are available in international medical service.

The mission in American Samoa was supported by the local Lions Club, who conducted initial screenings in a marketplace.

"They were amazing," Deggendorfer said. "They were so dedicated."

Kathy plans to speak to the Three Sisters Lions Club to inform them about the work of their international colleagues.

For more information on the Casey Eye Institute, visit www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/casey-eye.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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