Guatemala: Dispatches from Gift of Sight camp ~ Dr. Ahsan M. Khan

As we took the patch off, she opened up her eye and began reading letters, probably for the first time in a long time. The smile on her face was unforgettable. I embraced her as she expressed her gratitude and thanked her for her cooperation and trust.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Gift of Sight / Humanity First
By Dr. Ahsan M. Khan | October 26, 2011

We’ve began our second Gift of Sight eye camp in Guatemala. The venue has moved to the remote town of Chichicastenango, which is about two hours outside of Guatemala City. There are also many new faces on the team this year as only three members of the 2010 team have returned. What hasn’t changed, however, is the overwhelming sense of purpose and gratification gained from helping the wonderful people of Guatemala.

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to meet Maria Panchal Sequez, an elderly 79 year-old Mayan woman who traveled to our clinic from a remote village. I first noticed her as I was walking past the long lines of patients waiting to be seen at Proyecto Salud y Paz. She seemed frail and was wearing a bright violet Mayan blouse. Maria had a dense white cataract in her right eye which was clearly visible from afar. She was accompanied by her husband, Miguel, a tall, thin, sun-tanned man with deep wrinkles on his face, donning a sombrero and an old over-worn Boston Celtics sweatshirt. He stared at me without expression, perhaps because he wasn’t sure if he should trust me (or perhaps because he somehow knew I was a Lakers fan).


Maria couldn’t see me well as I greeted her, but expressed her gratitude in her own Quichean dialect. Through a translator, we explained her need for cataract surgery. She was eager to see again and expressed her excitement. But I couldn’t erase the obvious concern on Miguel’s face. He appeared reluctant, but stood by Maria’s side throughout the entire process.

Maria’s cataract surgery, though challenging and longer than usual, was a success. She left the clinic with a patch on her eye and returned with her husband this morning. As we took the patch off, she opened up her eye and began reading letters, probably for the first time in a long time. The smile on her face was unforgettable. I embraced her as she expressed her gratitude and thanked her for her cooperation and trust. Best of all, Miguel finally cracked a grin too. But he was still wearing that old Celtics sweatshirt. Now if I could only get him to see the light.

- Dr. Ahsan M. Khan



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