The team did know one thing however: Lulahana would need delicate surgery if she had any chance to see again. And the surgery would have to be done soon: the longer she waited, the greater the chances are that the brain would refuse to use the eye again.

Canvasback arranged to have Lulahana and her mother flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California in November. A specialist in pediatric ophthalmic surgery - Dr. Howard Gimbel of Alberta, Canada, - agreed to donate his services, as did the medical center. Continental Airlines donated two tickets for the trip.

But when the time came for Lulahana to board the plane, she was too terrified to go - apparently another child on her island had told her that the doctors were going to take her eye out!

To the rescue came Kikue Moufa, the chief nurse at the Chuuk Hospital. Kikue talked to the family and prayed with them. And somehow, she managed to get the hospital to pay for an extra ticket so that she could accompany Lulahana to the States. However by this time the holiday season was fast approaching and the airline industry crisis was at its peak. There would be no way to get Lulahana to the States until after the New Year.

Finally, on Feb. 1, Lulahana came to the States, with surgery anticipated for Feb. 7. But when Lulahana was examined by the specialists in Loma Linda, the news was not good. Behind a corneal scar they found a detached retina, well beyond repair.

There is no way to know when this happened, at the time of the accident or sometime in the intervening months. But one thing is sure: had Lulahana lived in the United States, instead of the remote Mortlock Islands where medical is not available, her vision very well may have been saved.

Lulahana's story all too well illustrates the plight of the island people, who in most cases have no way of receiving adequate health care in a timely fashion. This situation also makes us doubly grateful for hundreds of patients who have received their sight thanks to the work of Canvasback eye teams.

We are extremely sad and disappointed about the outcome of Lulahana’s situation. We had hoped for an outcome similar to the one we experienced a few years ago with a young teenager named Richard. Canvasback brought Richard to the states and gave him sight. This enabled him to finish high school and now he is a lay pastor on an outer island.

For those of you who have been praying Lulahana, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Only God knows what this experience and her trip to the states will mean for her down the road, and so wel leave it in His hands.

Thank you also to Continental Airlines, Dr. Howard Gimbel, Loma Linda Medical Center, Loma Linda School of Dentistry, and the Denler, Pohren and Loeak families for hosting Lulahana and her mother and nurse while they were in the States.

While visiting California,
Lulahana (center) was treated
to a trip to Disneyland by the
Pohren family. Here she is
flanked by Caleb and Casey
and host sister, 5-yr-old Nichole.