Guatemala Mission - 2003

by Vickey Hawkins, COA
Cataract Surgery Coordinator
Eye Centers of Tennessee

Every year my employer, Dr. Larry Patterson, ventures on a mission trip to Guatemala during the Thanksgiving holidays and performs eye surgery on people in desperate need of help.  He works through a group called Health Talents International.  This was my fifth year with the group.  While each trip has filled me with the most amazing experiences, this time we concluded a story that began one year ago.  

Last year a 34 year old woman was slowly lead into the clinic by her oldest daughter.  Her name was Juana Sajuin Aju and she was from Chicaco, a small village in southwest Guatemala.   Since losing her vision, she mostly sat in a chair in the corner of their house.  Her oldest daughter was responsible for taking care of the younger 7 children the youngest of which was only 2 months old. She was completely healthy, but could not see to function as a wife or mother and needed help with everything she did.  Juana was expressionless and barely spoke to anyone.  She was blind from cataracts, a clouding of the natural lens of the eye. Juana’s cataracts were so bad that the pupil of her eye, which is normally black, was now completely white. Here at home we remove cataracts when they affect a person’s daily activities including reading, driving or playing golf.  Due to very poor health care in rural Guatemala, many people go completely blind before surgeons volunteering from the United States help them. Only a lucky few in the rural areas get the medical attention they need.

We performed surgery on one of her eyes the following day. The procedure is much different in Guatemala as we do not have the state of the art equipment that we have at home in our surgery center. Her surgery was uncomplicated and she stayed the night. The next morning Dr. Patterson removed the eye patch. Her vision was better than it had been the day before.  We all were anxious to see the excitement on her face when she realized she could see, but she remained expressionless.  She looked around the room for a moment or two, then began to cry as she reached out for her 2 month old child that she had never seen.  There was not a dry eye in the house as we watch while she held her child and looked at his face for the very first time.

This year we returned to Guatemala and a familiar face appeared while we were doing eye exams.  Juana returned to have surgery on her other blind eye.  This year she walked in on her own with an all-consuming smile on her face.  She could see very well in the eye we operated on last year and recognized us.  We were so happy to see her.  Though most of us do not speak or understand Spanish it was obvious to us what she was saying.  Juana hugged each of us over and over.  Her personality was a completely different.  She was talkative and vibrant.  She explained to the local physician at the clinic, Sergio, how she went home last year and told her husband and children that “the Lord has touched me with His hand”.  Juana said that she, her husband and eight children pray each night for the doctor and staff that gave her sight and life back to her.  We performed surgery on her other eye the next day and she did very well.

I saw her in the hall the morning after her surgery as she was leaving and she motioned me over.  She introduced me to her husband and daughter (who looked about 7 years old) by pointing to them and to herself.  Then she looked at her daughter and spoke to her for a moment.   Without hesitation the little girl turned to me, wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me very tightly. With her chin rested upon my stomach she looked up at me with her big brown eyes.  She began speaking to me in Spanish and pointing to her mom.  The only word I understood was “gracias”, but the hug and gratitude in her face was priceless.  I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier than at that moment. 

If you have the opportunity to go on a medical mission trip I would strongly recommend you take the chance.  Your background does not matter, because there is always work to be done.  Terry, Kathy and Marlo Tollett from Linary Church of Christ came with us on the trip this year.  None of them had medical experience, but Kathy, Marlo and Dr. Patterson’s twelve year old daughter, Mary, helped get the patients ready by putting drops in their eyes, changing sheets, and charting.  Terry was able to repair a lot of much needed equipment and run the sterilizers.  Kathy Page, also from Linary, was able to work with the clinic’s dentist.  Dr. Patterson also took his scrub tech, Vickie Suggs and the business manager of the Cataract and Laser Center, Jonel Miller. There is a place for everyone who is willing to work and the paycheck is more rewarding than you could ever imagine.   Miracles do happen and if you do not believe in them, you should ask Juana and her family what they think.