Brayan is an eight-year-old student living in Guatemala with his single mother. Brayan is in the first grade, and he loves school--his favorite things are addition and subtraction, and playing with toy cars. His mother works washing clothes and cleaning for neighbors.
Brayan has had strabismus his whole life, but since he has started school, his condition has worsened. He has been unable to control his right eye movements, giving him poor depth perception, headaches, and renders him unable to participate in many games with the other kids.
Strabismus, commonly known as “cross-eyes,” is caused by the lack of coordination of the eye muscles. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, tells us that what Brayan needs is extraocular muscle to correct the alignment of his eyes. This surgery is very routine, and is the third most common surgery in the United States. Brayan also requires transportation from his village, and an interpreter who can communicate in his family's native language. The total cost of this procedure is $1,500, and covers the supplies, surgery, and three days of inpatient care.
This treatment will give Brayan improved vision, reduce his frequency of headaches, and allow him to participate in sports. "When I am big I want to be a policeman," Brayan shares, "because when I see car crashes, the police always come. I want to be a policemen to be able to go to the people in those cars, and take care of them." Following his surgery, he will be better able to concentrate and be a successful student.