Seeing with new eyes: a sweepstakes win guided by God

By Christina Capecchi

For The Catholic Spirit

For years, Sarah Hansen dreamt of getting surgery to improve her severe vision impairment. Whenever a Facebook ad popped up advertising a sweepstakes to win free Lasik surgery, the 33-year-old mom entered. This spring she received an email saying she had won a free surgery through a radio station’s contest. “I was in shock!” said Hansen, a communications specialist at St. Odilia in Shoreview. She underwent Lasik surgery on March 16. Now she’s seeing the world through new eyes — and through the lens of faith.

Q What did you make of that incredible gift?

A I was ecstatic. I don’t win a lot of things, but you get what God has meant to give you.

Q Did you see his hand in it?

A One hundred percent! The Sunday Gospel for the week of my surgery was when Jesus heals the blind man. And I work at St. Odilia (in Shoreview), who is the patron saint of the blind. Then I found out my doctor who performed the surgery — Mark Lobanoff — is a parishioner here. How cool! I think God led me here, and everything is connected.

Q What was it like to suddenly see clearly without glasses?

A Everything looks so much better. I was so excited to take a shower and be able to actually see! Waking up in the morning and seeing clearly (is) shocking. We live by Rice Creek Park, where they have tons of trails, and now I can see details there — lines and flowers that I never saw before. It’s so pretty.

The biggest thing was actually at Mass. That first Sunday back at Mass, I noticed how unique our cross is. There are so many details and grooves on it with different pieces of wood. I whispered to my husband, “Oh my gosh! I didn’t realize how cool the cross is!”

Q The impact is wide-reaching.

A It’s changed everything. My job is pretty detail-oriented, and it’s so much easier now. I do a lot of photography, and my pictures are coming out so much better now. Yesterday I was able to visit our preschool 2-year-olds who were in the Mary room of our chapel, adoring her, and I was able to take their pictures and capture how they see things. At our Easter Vigil, I got the most beautiful pictures. The church was packed, and to see everybody worshipping with candles in the dark was powerful.

Q As a photographer, your eyes are others’ eyes. You’re capturing images for other people to see.

A Yes. I want to be able to show God’s work and the beauty that he’s made. It’s everywhere, and we can find it outside, we can find it in the church, we can find it at our choir concerts and when the kids put on a little show for Sarah’s Table, our monthly luncheon for senior citizens.

Q Do you feel like you’re right where God wants you to be?

A I really do. I had worked a lot of different jobs and wasn’t satisfied with any. It was a struggle. I wanted to do more with my life, and I asked God to point me in the right direction. I stayed home when my daughter Madi was born, and then, with her preparing to start kindergarten, I learned about this job. My first day at St. O’s was her first day as a kindergartner. It’s so cool — I can go down and visit her at lunch or see her in the hallway. And my job is to make stuff! I’m in my own little world half the time creating.

I am so much happier! I feel at peace. Q I bet Madi loves visiting your cubicle.

A Her favorite thing to do is go under my desk. It’s a large U-shaped desk and the whole thing is open underneath, so I put a little bean bag chair under there for her. She comes over after school, throws her stuff off, pulls a snack out of my drawer and then crawls under my desk to draw. It’s her little fort. Nobody can see when she’s down there.

Q What do you think she’s learning from being a student at St. O’s and seeing you there as an employee?

A She can integrate her faith into every part of her life. If she’s having a hard time with something, she’ll say, “Mom, can we pray?” It’s so great.

I love listening to Madi sing. It’s so cute to hear what she’s learned at school. She loves the VBS music. We listen to that CD in the car all year-round!

At night, I play the Latin hymn “Tantum Ergo” on the Hallow app — the piano instrumental. She falls asleep to it. It’s so peaceful. “Ahh! This is how we’re going to end our day.”

We love to go on walks. She calls them nature hunts. We look for something new, we pick up leaves, we talk about the animals or how many cracks are in the road or why things happen. She comes up with the most amazing questions.

Q Do you think many people have lost their sense of wonder?

A I do. And I think I had, honestly. I went through the whole faith formation process. We learn so much as kids and then it fizzles. You lose that sense of wonder because there aren’t places for you to learn. But I’m learning so much working here. And listening to Father Mike Schmitz’s podcast “The Catechism in a Year” has been huge for me. If I’m doing laundry, I’ll listen to a bunch of them.

Q Do you consider wonder a spiritual gift?

A I do! My heart is filled with gratitude. This has changed my view of how we’re all connected. I’ve thought about it a lot. Sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, you don’t see it, but looking back on it, you can recognize how God guided you. I had persistence. I kept on going, kept on trusting in God.

I know he’s here and I know he hears me, and he’s going to do what’s best for me. It’s his plan. I just have to trust it and keep on going, and then everything falls into place.

God has a plan for all of us. It might feel really hard at times, but in the end, we can see how everything is pulled together.