Making a Dream a Reality

On the surface, Rich Hackett seems like an ordinary, family man who has worked hard in order to provide his family with a secure life. However, Rich has many diverse layers of his character that prove he is more than just a devoted husband, father and hard worker. Rich rarely says the word “I” and never dwells on the subject of himself for too long. It’s clear that he is an altruistic man, and this is validated by the work he does for others. Even though Rich is in charge of a legal staffing company here in Eugene, he is also the founder and director of thenon-profit organization, Sea Mercy.

Sea Mercy was never something Rich had planned on doing. Rich stumbled upon the idea when he and his wife, Stephanie, were on one of their many sailing trips throughout the South Pacific Ocean. Their relationship began and prospered on the water. The two of them both had the same passion for sailing and loved to travel to far away places. In 2008, the pair decided to sail around the main island of Fiji, and during this trip, they began to notice the smaller, remote islands that surrounded it. These islands were inhabited by people, but Rich was curious as to what exactly was going on within them. He could tell they were going unnoticed and had no infrastructure, signs of electricity, or even proper sewage systems.

Rich and Stephanie started visiting the remote islands to see for themselves how the people were living their lives. They became immersed in the native’s culture and developed an emotional connection to the people. Once Rich realized his assumptions about these people’s lifestyle were true, he knew he wanted to help them in some way. His biggest concern was the health care aspect to each of the islands. He shortly realized that many of them had either no medical supplies to provide the people with or only had one free standing building that was used to “treat” any patients that came in.

Rich had never studied medicine and knew he didn’t have the knowledge to properly help the natives of the islands the way he wanted to. For the next couple of years, after they had returned from the islands, he and his wife would consistently bring up the idea of going back to the South Pacific to create a floating health care center that would sail to the remote islands and provide the natives with medical supplies they desperately needed. “Dreams are cheap but when you turn them in to reality that’s when they become expensive,” Rich explained.  Rich knew it wouldn’t be easy and would take a lot of planning and strategizing in order for all the pieces to come together, but he still never doubted his plan and continued to work to make it a reality. After going through the Health Ministry of Island Nations, Rich sent out applications to people that showed interest in the project. A team quickly came together and a few short years later, in 2010 the official United States based non-profit organization Sea Mercy was created.

The things that Rich and his wife were seeing when they went on their first rotation to Fiji were difficult to deal with. Stephanie Hackett described what she saw during one of her first visits to one of these freestanding buildings. “It makes me cry because we would walk in there and they would have a first aid kit and a few bottles of Aspirin. Aspirin is what they would give these people if they came in with a severe injury or a sickness. That’s it.” The hardest part to witness for Rich was seeing the children of the islands walk around barefoot because they didn’t have any shoes, and when Stephanie and Rich would pay attention to their legs and feet, they noticed they were covered in cuts, scars and callouses. Yet, it didn’t even phase the kids. Rich reflected on his life and realized how easily obtainable health care was for him here in the United States but how the people of the remote islands of Fiji didn’t even have access to fundamental medical supplies. The Hacketts knew something needed to be changed because these people deserved to have a proper health care system but didn’t have the means to make it happen.

Rich explained how several facets make up Sea Mercy and allow it to do what it was designed to do, but one of the most important was the relationships he formed during these trips. Relationships, with either the volunteers of Sea Mercy or the people of the islands of Fiji themselves, are what Rich says made Sea Mercy the successful non-profit that it is today. Rich explained that, “everybody knows everybody over there and it’s really about relationships. If you go over there and say you know a certain someone, they bring you in and it’s like you’re part of that family. I think we’ve lost that over here in the states and so after being over there it has made me appreciate my family and the values of family.” Without the formation of relationships with the people of Fiji, many of the goals that Rich had for his floating health care clinic never would have been completed. At times, the natives would be hesitant towards the volunteers of Sea Mercy. They explained to Rich and Stephanie how people would come to their islands to help, but would leave to go get more supplies or volunteers and never come back. They would feel abandoned but once they knew Rich and the organization were there to stay and make a difference, a sense of trust was formed between Sea Mercy and the natives.

“As much as Sea Mercy has helped the natives of Fiji, Tonga, and the other islands we visited in the South Pacific, the people have helped us in ways that they will never know,” Rich said. Even though Rich had a great relationship with his family prior to starting Sea Mercy, he said it has only been strengthened since. He explained how the cultures of the people are so different from ours here in the United States. He said, “Life is so simple over there. I almost believe now that having less is a better thing. Having a simple life is less stressful. I’ve come away with just enjoying life after being in the South Pacific.” Rich doesn’t take any of the experiences he has had while working with Sea Mercy for granted. Before starting the non-profit Rich appeared to be what most people strive to be. A hard worker, a loving father, and devoted husband. By starting Sea Mercy, Rich Hackett has not only touched and healed thousands of lives living more than 5,000 miles away, but he’s changed his own outlook on life in the process.