In Loving Memory of Sandy Burnett

Sandy’s contributions to Orbis spanned more than three decades. She first joined the Flying Eye Hospital in 1990, working as a staff nurse on board our first-generation DC-8 aircraft. Over the years, she supported more than 20 Orbis projects across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, playing a vital role in training local teams and helping restore vision to patients around the world.

Sandy’s path to Orbis began during her time at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, where a chance conversation with a future Orbis medical director introduced her to our work. From there, she became a valued member of the medical team, serving on all three generations of the Flying Eye Hospital. “I was able to get on board with Orbis in 1990 and flew to Sudan with the aircraft out of Germany when the Berlin Wall was coming down. And that began my love affair and adventures with Orbis and a whole new family of friends around the world.” Sandy told us on our Sightlines podcast in 2020.

"Serving on all three generations of Flying Eye Hospitals was a badge Sandy wore with pride," said Geoff Oliver Bugbee, Orbis's Head of Visual Content and Storytelling. Geoff went on, "She’d arrive in-country for an Orbis project equipped with a wellspring of Orbis stories, a huge smile, and a ukelele tucked under her arm. She’d often sit in the corner of the Flying Eye Hospital recovery room and quietly strum her instrument for a little patient who’d just undergone surgery."

Gallery: Sandy traveled the world with Orbis for more than 30 years.

In addition to her clinical expertise, Sandy brought a strong commitment to education. She played a leading role in early Orbis nursing programs, conducting training in Peru, Guyana, Guatemala, and Suriname. She believed strongly in empowering nurses and other healthcare professionals and was known for her practical, patient-centered approach. As she once said, “Helping people to see is a prime motivator… If you can have sight surgically repaired and have trained ophthalmologists and nurses around the world doing that—that’s the name of the game.”

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Sandy had a particular interest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her ability to communicate across cultures, combined with her warmth and professionalism, made her an outstanding educator and colleague.

One of the most memorable moments of Sandy’s Orbis journey occurred in Peru, where she was reunited with a patient she had helped care for 27 years earlier. As she described it, “the stars and the planets were all aligned at that moment.” It was a rare and powerful reminder of the long-term impact of Orbis’s work—and of Sandy’s enduring dedication.

Gallery: Sandy was reunited with Jose 27 years after they first met.

Sandy’s legacy lives on in the many nurses she mentored, the patients she supported, and the Orbis staff and volunteers who had the privilege of working alongside her. Her contributions to global eye care were significant, and her presence will be missed across the Orbis community.

We extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew her.