When we had our medical team in February from Maranatha, optometrist Dr. Dario Aldana was hard at work for two reasons. Firstly, there are always a lot of patients that need their eyes checked for glasses. And secondly, Dr. Dario was searching for candidates for an eye surgery team that he was planning for March in El Faro. Cataracts and Pterigons are common eye problems here in Guatemala that have an operable solution. Many people in our area of Guatemala don’t have the means to afford a surgery and sadly lose their sight completely. Just because someone has lost sight, however, doesn’t mean that they still can’t receive the operation.
This was the third eye surgery team at El Faro and we couldn’t have been more blessed by such a wonderful group. Dr. Dario, Dr. Bob, his wife, Susan, Mary, Mayra, Brittni, Cindy, and Larry made up the incredible team this year and God was able to move through each one to touch the lives of so many people.
The doctors do not charge for the operations and bring down donated medicine and surgery equipment. Located in one of the apartments in a dorm here at El Faro. 8-10 patients are seen on a daily basis and then spend the night with a family member at our facilities. The following morning the patients are awoken by huge smiles from the team members as they take off the bandages to see the improvement and to give the follow-up instructions
On the last day of surgeries, a woman showed up who was deaf, mute, and now blind due to cataracts. She communicated through touch with her son and she knew she was going to receive an operation for her eyes. The team was scared not knowing how she would respond to the initial injection to begin to numb the eye. She didn’t move an inch and laid down calmly allowing the doctor to prepare her for surgery. The next morning when she was having her bandages removed there wasn’t a dry eye in the room as she looked at the doctor and began to sign to her son that she could see. Being quite the personality, she pointed to her other eye to tell the doctor that she was ready for her next operation.
May of the patients had lost jobs and had spent years confined to their houses. As the walked to the dock by themselves, all of them had a new sense of pride and a new hope that they didn’t have when they first arrived to El Faro. We are so thankful for this beautiful team of such talented people who helped change the lives of so many.
To see pictures of the Fort Hill Eye Surgery Team, please click HERE
To see the video of this team, please click HERE
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