Photo: Dr. Barry Rose meets with Kristen Bella Hinojosa, a young girl who is blind, at least once a year during his work with Operation Rainbow, providing care at a clinic in Bolivia.
This holiday season, a heartwarming story of resilience and compassion is unfolding at Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. On December 9, expert CPMC surgeons will perform a critical eye exam on Kristen Bella Hinojosa, a blind 10-year-old who’s lived in a South American orphanage after unimaginable trauma. Their mission: to determine if there’s any chance of restoring sight to her left eye and to explore options for a prosthesis for her empty right eye socket.
“Kristen’s journey to this point is extraordinary,” explains CPMC anesthesiologist Dr. Barry Rose.
Dr. Rose says Kristen’s spirit soared after receiving braille books in Spanish.
Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, Kristen was tragically blinded at the age of two after parental abuse. Since then, she’s lived in the Judah Quy orphanage. Over the past six years, Dr. Rose, who first met Kristen at a clinic in Bolivia through Operation Rainbow, has tirelessly worked to bring her to San Francisco for specialized care.
“Blindness is particularly close to my heart,” shares Dr. Rose. “My mother, who was also blind, found joy in books – just as Kristen has discovered through learning Spanish braille. Watching her grow through this has been a light in her otherwise dark world.”
The journey to care has been fraught with challenges, says Dr. Rose. He has faced legal, bureaucratic and logistical hurdles to secure Kristen’s travel to the U.S. But thanks to the steadfast support and generosity of four CPMC ophthalmic surgeons – Drs. Daniel Goodman, Michael Jumper, Stuart Seiff and George Tanaka – along with a CPMC Van Ness Campus charge nurse and orphanage director Paul Velasco, Kristen’s visit is finally a reality.
According to Dr. Rose, Kristen will travel with her companion, Jasmine, navigating a lengthy trip uncommon for Kristen who’s rarely left her orphanage, except to go to school. “This may well be her only journey away from her hometown for the rest of her life,” notes Dr. Rose.
The team will perform the procedure free of charge, motivated by what could be a pivotal moment for Kristen’s medical future. For those involved, this isn’t just medical care – it’s a holiday offering that hopefully will bring light to Kristen’s life.
“This all began during an Operation Rainbow mission years ago,” recalls Dr. Rose, who first traveled with the organization in 1990. “Sometimes overseas medical missions don’t truly end when you return home. Every so often, a little girl captures your heart and stays there forever.”
UPDATE
Kristen’s vision could not be restored, but she was fitted with a temporary prosthetic eye. During the short procedure, the team created a mold to craft a permanent prosthetic, which will be shipped to Kristen for placement by a local doctor.
Reflecting on the experience, a tearful Dr. Rose remarked, “When Kristen turns 50, she’ll know that some nice people did everything they could to help her. She’ll never have to wonder ‘what if’ about her vision or if more could have been done. There’s a measure of comfort in that certainty.”
Kristen prepares for her procedure at Sutter’s CPMC, surrounded by her champions who made this moment possible.
Following her exploratory procedure at Sutter’s CPMC, Kristen finds a peaceful moment beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, listening to the soothing rhythm of the waves.
