Medical Care for Rural Guatemalan Families

Francisco had been blind for 20 years. He could not tend the crops in the family's fields, so he spent most of his time in the house. Whenever he ventured out of the house where he lived with his son, he was guided by his 6 year old grandson.

One day there was a festival in his village and everyone in his house had gone to be a part of it. He heard the music and the laughter and decided to go, but his grandson had already left. So, he set out to find it alone. He could not see and staggered about, finally falling into a tree and lying on the ground, weeping. Finally a neighbor found him and led him home.

A short while later, Partner for Surgery came to the clinic in Francisco’s village with a small surgical team to do cataract surgery. Francisco’s family had heard about the visiting team and his grandson led him to the clinic. He was told that he had a condition known as cataracts and asked if he would like to have an operation to have his sight restored right then and there. He said yes, that he would like to be able to once again tend his cardamom.

He had a surgery that took all of fifteen minutes and the next day, when the bandages came off and Francisco could see, everyone - including the doctors, the Partner for Surgery staff, and Francisco - cried. After twenty years of blindness – he could see. Such a simple procedure but one that was not available to Francisco until Partner for Surgery came to his village. 

This is what we do. Bring joy back into lives of those who have lived with unnecessary hardship for so long. Thank you for supporting our work!