Longtime Patient Carole Fenton Reflects on Her Valued Relationship with Dr. Michael Gorman, Founder of Family Vision Center

For the past 20 years, Dr. Michael Gorman, Founder of Family Vision Center, has been more than just Carole Fenton’s optometrist, he’s been her friend. A longtime patient in her home-based Stratford office, Carole developed a fast friendship with Dr. Gorman based on their mutual interest in travel. This friendship later resulted in an altruistic partnership.

Carole’s husband, Thomas Fenton, was also a devoted patient of Dr. Gorman’s. When they received the news of Dr. Gorman’s recent retirement, they were delighted for him, yet equally disappointed to lose their valued optometrist. The couple recalls booking back-to-back appointments and looking forward to discussing them later that day.

“Whether discussing a hobby or eye care, you understood what he was trying to convey and if it was complicated, he treated it with grace, taking the time to ensure complete clarity,” Carole said. “Whenever we had appointments, that night our dinner talk would then revolve around our conversations with Dr. Gorman. It was always more than just a doctor’s appointment, it was an experience.”

It was because of those impressionable experiences that Carole turned to Dr. Gorman when she needed help with a charity mission last February. In 2009, Carole’s friend and Norwalk Hospital nurse Gerry Nicholls founded Ethiopia’s Daughters, a charity that works with Ethiopian schools and local communities to provide clean water and medical assistance, while improving educational programs and infrastructure. Once a year, volunteers travel to Ethiopia to assemble a clinic for a week and provide primary care-type services.

After the Fenton’s signed up for the 2014 trip, Carole immediately began brainstorming about how she could contribute to the week. She recalled that Ethiopia’s Daughters had recently received a large donation of reading glasses and decided she wanted to figure out the most efficient way to distribute them to the villagers who needed them most. Carole immediately thought of Dr. Gorman and soon found herself at his office explaining the mission and seeking advice on how to best execute it.

From the moment Carole approached Dr. Gorman, he was extremely passionate about the mission and understood what they needed to maximize its potential. Recognizing the people in the tribe wouldn’t speak English or necessarily comprehend what was involved with eye exam even, Dr. Gorman developed an eye chart with pictures and drawings to help them communicate the concept and determine their vision in relationship to the strength of the reading glasses. Carole was ecstatic, knowing this was exactly the solution she needed to most effectively meet the needs of the villagers. The mission was a massive success and they donated over 100 pairs of glasses that were so desperately needed.

When Carole returned home, she created a photo album for Dr. Gorman, documenting the hundreds of villagers he helped. She’s looking forward to presenting it to him and telling the inspiring stories from her trip. She’s also eager to share other exciting news about her personal life—Carole is about to embark on an adventure in the form of a new job. After 18 years as a first grade teacher, Carole is about to leave that all behind to start a new career as a travel counselor. With their shared passion for travel, Carole is confident he will understand exactly why she’s making such a courageous leap to follow her heart. Dr. Gorman also supported her throughout her teaching career, rearranging his busy schedule to visit her classroom and teach the students about vision when they were conducting their yearly science lesson on the five senses.

Carole continues to be a patient at Family Vision Center and values its presence as one of Stratford’s long-standing fixtures. She does not know of any other local business that’s been around as long as Family Vision Center and she credits its longevity to Dr. Gorman’s dedication, passion and genuine kindness. Carole respects Dr. Gorman for pouring his heart into his practice and will be forever grateful for having such a good man as her doctor and her friend.