A Point of Light Honor for a Mercy Ships Family

LINDALE – As the funeral for former president George Bush was being held, his Points of Light organization honored a family working with Mercy Ships, which is based in Garden Valley, in northwestern Smith County. According to a news release, Mercy Ships volunteer Dr. Gary Parker, his wife, Susan and their two children, of Seattle, received the Daily Point of Light Award. Dr. Parker is the chief medical officer abord the Africa Mercy. It is the world’s largest charity hospital ship. When Dr. Parker first volunteered, he thought it would be a 3 month task. Thirty one years later, Dr. Parker, and his wife, who he met on board, continue to provide help to those living without access to safe, timely and affordable surgical care.

Gary, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, specializes in the treatment of tumors and other deformities of the face, head and neck – giving his African patients a second chance at life. And while the Parkers are changing people’s lives, the are the first to admit that the patients have also had an impact on their lives.

According to Susan, “I can sometimes become preoccupied with situations in my life that aren’t going the way I’d like them to, or something I miss back in the States. And yet when I take the time to walk down those three flights of stairs to the hospital ward and I see the conditions people are suffering with and I spend time talking to them and they’re smiling and thankful … I’m reminded about what’s really important in life and that happiness truly is an inside job. I’ve been given a gift by living here – it’s developed in me a lifestyle of gratitude.”