His eye is on the blind
God is a pretty cool guy. He created the heavens, the earth, all the trees and rocks, animals and people. He’s done good work. However, some people like to think that, since the Big Genesis Bang, he’s mostly sat back and watched things unfold. A silent observer, if you will. Jerold E. Beeve, M.D., is decidedly not one of those people.
Most of the year, Beeve, a La Cañada Flintridge resident, practices ophthalmology in Glendale. Since the early 1990s, though, Beeve has also been holding an annual free eye-care clinic in Fiji. He set up the Beeve Foundation after he became aware, during a second honeymoon to the islands in 1989, of the increasing problem with blindness that Fijians face. He and his wife Dorothy, along with dozens of other doctors and volunteers, have since helped more than 2,000 native islanders retain—or regain—their once-deteriorating sight through more than 1,000 cataract surgeries, among other treatments.
Beeve’s new book, “Dear Lord, It’s Jerry Again,” is only partially about helping the blind to see again, though. Much of Beeve’s writing is dedicated to God, and his generosity in answering the Beeve Foundation’s prayers when needed most. Beeve is an excitable yet humble author, and one cannot help but be enthused by the accounts he has laid down of his experiences in Fiji.
Through all of the joy he has brought to people who thought they might never see again, all of the hope he has restored to families no longer worried about having to care for a blind loved one, all of the near-tragedies from lack of funding to international political turmoil, and all of the miracles brought about by Beeve’s own staff—and often his own two hands—the ophthalmologist has credited God and his intervention for supplying the necessary tools and wisdom to succeed in such an important venture.
Beeve, who has opened his own home for months at a time to Fijians in dire need of medical care, writes from an ever-present position of humility and awestruck wonder at the works that God has made possible. His excitement is palpable throughout the book, and it is difficult not to smile at each wonderful occurrence that helped to enable the Beeve Foundation to continue on its mission over the years.
While it might not be next in line for the National Book Award, it is a surprisingly well-written little hardcover for something that was self-published. Beeve’s enthusiasm and dedication draw in the reader, allowing for a natural, personalized experience.
Through God, Beeve has given sight back to thousands of poverty-stricken Fijians, and with his help yet again, Beeve has delivered a delightfully genuine account of the experience. “Dear Lord, It’s Jerry Again” is an uplifting book filled with joyful stories of one man’s dedication to fixing the world’s problem with blindness, one patient at a time.
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Brian McGackin is an alumnus of USC’s graduate creative writing program, where he focused on poetry and literary critical analysis.
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Infobox:
Book: “Dear Lord, It’s Jerry Again” by Jerold E. Beeve, M.D.
Publisher: Reliance Media
Where: Available for purchase online through Newbookpublishing.com
Cost: $12.95, (hardcover, 166 pages)