Last week we celebrated the life of Dr. Phil Ortiz of Morris, optometrist and founder of I Care International, who passed away in February at the age of 86. I went on I Care’s first optometry mission in 1989 and have gone on some 30 more since.
After 33 years of service to everyday people in Mexico and Central and South America, we conservatively estimate I Care International has provided 200,000 people with quality eye exams and free glasses if needed.
Phil was tireless in leading those missions. He created a service model that brought eye care to small needy communities by planning directly with local leaders in the villages and rural areas we serve.
American volunteers from all walks of life and all parts of the country work hand in hand with volunteers in host countries who invite I Care International to conduct large scale eye care clinics in their communities.
When that happens, you come to value the people in those countries in a special way.
Who benefits most? The people getting the glasses or the people handing them out? When a country you visit is mentioned in the news; Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala; you don’t listen to the story like before. You think of the people you met in the clinic and how that news is affecting them. It changes your perspective. It humanizes you to the world. Dr. Ortiz gave us that.
I ran into Phil at a fundraiser on the west side of Ottawa for the first Mexican American elected to county wide office in La Salle County. Phil kept track of those things.
After the appetizers, during the political speeches, Phil asked me,
“Are you still hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go see my mom.”
Phil’s Mom lived behind the banquet hall. We snuck out the back door, stepped across the railroad tracks, and walked into her house. Phil and his mom gave each other a huge hug.
“Let me fix you some chilies” she said.
She warmed tortillas and served us pork chops in green sauce from a pot already on the burner.
Phil changed from a distinguished man in a suit to a boy in his mom’s kitchen. They spoke together in Spanish, some of which I understood. We stayed a long time. Jenny passed away soon after that.
Later, at a crowded clinic in Honduras, I watched Phil give eye exams while I fit people with glasses he prescribed.
Phil was good with old ladies. When thanking him, they would reach for his hand. When they did, he took their hand in both of his, and gave them a big smile.
During a lull I went over to him.
“The old ladies seem especially taken with you today.”
“Yeah. I have a soft spot for them. When I’m with them, I feel close to my mom.”
Sometimes when struggling to describe people like Phil, we call them magnetic, meaning people are drawn to them. But magnets, like magnetic people, are equally drawn to others.
I think I Care International helped Phil both create and receive the kind of positive human interaction so needed by him and all of us today.
With the pandemic easing, I Care International is organizing a mission for 2023. Phil would be happy we’re putting it back together.
- Dave McClure lives in Ottawa. He is a long-retired director of a local private agency. He is also a blogger. You can read more of Dave at Daveintheshack.blogger.com