Sun. Sand. Sea turtles. St. Croix. All were in the rearview mirror for Howard Thompson, RN and his wife, Linda, as they flew back to the mainland from their underwater-photography vacation in the Virgin Isles in May.

The Oregon couple excitedly expected their little one’s delivery. What they didn’t expect was for him to be rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart-Riverbend in Springfield, Oregon, shortly after he arrived.

January 25, 2017 might have been a typical northwest winter day for Mark Owen. Typical, except for the terrible way he felt, and it only got worse.

This harvest season is completely different for Fulgencio de Jesús Pineda Alvarenga. For the first time in 25 years, the 50-year-old Salvadoran will happily be able to go back to work in the fields to earn money to support his family—thanks to surgeons who restored his eyesight earlier this year. And for Berta del Carmen Perdomo Garcia, a 64-year-old who had been nearly blind just six months before surgery. She is overjoyed to regain her independence. She is now able to make tortillas and care for her family every day.