Summary
[Benjamin Quamina] was even able to trace his genealogy through his surname. "There were two Quamina brothers shipped from West Africa. Because they were so independent and rebellious, they were sent to small islands in the Caribbean, not to the United States," he explains. "It was also just prior to the end of slavery, so they were able to keep their original names," he explains. "Quamina" was traced specifically to Ghana -- it's meaning being "born on Wednesday."
"When I saw a skull drilled open, I got a little ill," he laughs. He was then recommended to and taken under the wing of an ophthalmologist, who showed him the ropes. "It's a tremendous accomplishment to give sight to someone -- it's like giving them freedom," he explains. "That's how I knew what I wanted to do with my life.""Ben's the type of doctor who will be out in a parking lot, see someone not wearing sunglasses, and go over to educate them about the harm of UV rays on the eyes," says Karen Scantlebury, Quamina's program administrator. "Now that's real care -- real doctoring."See the full content of this document
Extract
Giving the Gift of Sight to Bostonians
Not many people can say that they have an award named after themselves. Even fewer can say that they have their own holiday. Dr. Benjamin Quamina has accomplished both, along with being a Vietnam veteran, social servant and family man -- and ...
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