Showing all patients at Intituto Panamericano

Three-year-old Nimrod lives with his older sisters and his parents in Guatemala. Since his parents work, his older sisters take care of him. His father works as a gardener, and his mother works at home, taking care of Nimrod and his family. Nimrod is suffering from strabismus - he has double vision, and a difficult time with depth perception. Although he has tried non-surgical treatment with glasses, this has not been effective. His mother is worried that he will not be able to attend school if he does not have his eyes repaired, and is fearful that he will never be able to read or play sports with the other kids. Although Nimrod's parents both work hard, they barely have enough money to sustain the family, and give everyone food, clothes, and other essentials, making an expensive surgery like Nimrod's impossible for them to pay for on their own. Nimrod's favorite toy is his little toy car, which he loves to play with when he isn't listening to music with his sisters. For $1486, we can fund the strabismus correction surgery that Nimrod needs. This treatment will give Nimrod the opportunity to have improved vision, which will allow him to be more independent. His mother will no longer have to worry if he will be able to attend school, read, and play with the other children once his strabismus is corrected. Surgery will improve Nimrod's quality of life, and give him the chance to be a successful student. "I dream that he can have better vision, and that everything goes well," Nimrod's sister shares. "May God bless the people that are going to pay for this treatment for my brother. We love our little brother so much."

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.

Angelica is 10-years-old and lives with her five siblings and parents in a one-room house with a tin roof. Her father works as a day laborer, making only $3 per day. Her mother works taking care of Angelica and her siblings, cooking, and cleaning. Angelica has strabismus, a condition which means that she is unable to control the direction of both of her eyes. This condition has made her have trouble with depth perception and headaches, but more importantly has prevented her from going to school. After finishing the first grade, she got so worried about what others thought of her 'bad eye' that she stopped going. Although they want the best for Angelica, her parents cannot afford to pay for her surgery. This surgery will correct Angelica's strabismus, giving her better control of both of her eyes. This will alleviate her physical symptoms, as well as improve her self-esteem so she can continue to attend school. Angelica said, "This next year I would like to keep studying if my eye is better and I can see better. I want to continue studying and get a job, so I can earn money and support my parents. I appreciate the help that you can give me."

"Since his birth, Kendal has been hospitalized multiple times because of an inability to eat and digest certain foods," says our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "Now his health status has been further complicated by a diagnosis of strabismus, a misalignment of the eyes which can impair vision." Kendal is a two-year-old boy from Guatemala who lives with his mother and grandparents. He's an only child, and his mother cleans houses to provide for him. WK explains, "So far he has been treated with glasses, but that treatment has been ineffective, and now he needs surgery. Strabismus in children does not correct itself, so without surgery, Kendal will not improve and will not be able to see well." "Treatment for Kendal will consist of further evaluation from an eye specialist, surgery to correct his strabismus, and post-op follow-up treatment, as well as accompaniment and transportation throughout his treatment process," WK says. Surgery and other treatment costs $1,500, a cost Kendal's mother cannot afford. Kendal's mother says, "Now that Kendal doesn't go to the hospital as much as he used to, I hope that he will be able see better and be able to grow up like any other child."

Josue is a five-year-old boy who lives with his parents and brothers. His father works in a grocery store, and his mother works at home taking care of Josue and his siblings. Josue's mother is pregnant, so he loves to talk to his mother's belly, he says he gets kicks in return. Josue is suffering from severe strabismus (misalignment of the eyes), which requires surgery to repair. Since he cannot control the direction of both of his eyes, he has double vision and a hard time with depth perception. His mother is worried that he will not be able to attend school if he does not have his strabismus repaired, and is fearful that he will never be able to read or play sports with the other kids. Although his parents work hard to give Josue the best they can, they cannot afford an expensive surgery like Josue's. $1,500 will cover the costs of the surgery and care Josue needs to correct his strabismus. This will give Josue improved vision, allowing him to be more independent. His mother will no longer have to worry if he will be able to attend school, read, or play with the other children once his strabismus is corrected. Josue's parents said, "We feel a great satisfaction to be able to get our son into surgery. We are very appreciative for the support, since it will help our little one grow up with good self-esteem."

Rachel is a two-year-old girl from Guatemala who lives with her parents and younger sister. She is an active girl and adores playing with her younger sister and their dolls. Rachel also loves to eat her favorite foods, which are watermelon and chicken soup. Rachel has strabismus—a condition in which the eyes do not align in the same direction and appear crossed. Symptoms of strabismus include double vision, uncoordinated eye movements, headaches, and loss of vision or depth perception. If left untreated, Rachel’s vision could suffer irreparable damage. Throughout her short life, Rachel has already had to receive treatment for malnutrition, physical and speech therapy, leg-lengthening orthotic braces, and glasses. Because of the severity of her eye condition, our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, is requesting $1,500 to fund Rachel’s eye surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 4 and will involve consultations with a trusted eye specialist before and after surgery. Following treatment, Rachel will have healthy eyes for the first time in her life. Rachel’s mother says, “I dream for my daughter to have more opportunities in her life. I hope that she can study in a university."

Mynor is an eight-year-old boy who lives with his parents and brother in Guatemala. Mynor’s father works several days a week, and Mynor’s mother contributes to the family income by preparing snacks and other foods for local schools and organizations. Mynor has strabismus. This means his eyes do not align in the same direction, and appear crossed. Mynor has complained of problems with his vision for years. He often has difficulty seeing the blackboard in his classroom, and reading is a struggle. Mynor’s parents are very worried about their son’s eyesight, knowing how difficult it is for Mynor in school. Other symptoms of strabismus include double vision, uncoordinated eye movements, fatigue, headache, and loss of vision or depth perception. If left untreated, Mynor’s vision could be permanently damaged. Mynor will receive a strabismus surgery on the muscles around his eyes to alter the way they align. As part of his treatment, he will receive a consultation with an eye specialist before and after surgery, and he will be accompanied by a staff member from our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, throughout the entire process. The surgery itself is fairly simple, and requires a day or two in the hospital. With this treatment, Mynor will have healthy eyes for the first time in his life. He will be able to see clearly, which will help him in his studies and impact his life for years to come. Mynor’s mother says, “I feel a great happiness and gratitude for this amazing support that you are giving to my son. Thank you for helping people like us and for worrying about our health.” Watsi is requesting $1,500 to fund Mynor's procedure.

Jairon is a young boy from Guatemala. He lives with his parents and siblings in Guatemala's rural western highlands. Jairon loves to spend his time playing with the other children in his village and eating his favorite foods: eggs and beans. Jairon has strabismus, a condition that occurs when the eyes do not align in the same direction and appear crossed. Symptoms of strabismus include double vision, uncoordinated eye movements, fatigue, headache, and loss of vision or depth perception. Jairon was born with an advanced strabismus, and therefore has always had difficulties seeing. He also often feels bad about his condition because other children make fun of him for it. If left untreated, Jairon's vision could be permanently damaged and irreparable. Fortunately, Jairon will receive strabismus correction surgery on February 20. He will receive consultation with a trusted eye specialist before and after surgery, and he will be accompanied by one of our medical partner's staff members throughout the entire process. The surgery itself is fairly simple and requires just a day or two in the hospital. Now, our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $1,500 to fund this treatment. Jairon will be able to see clearly for the first time in his life, and he will feel happier and more confident. Jairon's mother says, "I want my son to receive this operation so that he can be like other children and then they won't make fun of him anymore. I thank you for this help. May God bless you."

Abelino is a 58 year old man from Guatemala who has nine children, six of whom still live with him. He works sewing leather sandals and as a day laborer at a coffee plantation near his home. However, his true passion is playing the trumpet and the piano. Abelino has a non-cancerous growth on his right eye, due to decades of sun exposure as a day laborer. It has restricted his vision in that eye, and has made it constantly painful and itchy for the past three years. The growth, also known as a pterygium, has made it impossible for Abelino to read. Before his vision got so bad, he used to read the Bible or another book every day. If Abelino does not receive surgery, the growth is likely to get bigger, further restrict his vision, and worsen the burning sensation he feels in his eye. For $1,487 we can fund surgery to remove the pterygium from his eye, restoring his vision and allowing him to read once again. "My life is very valuable to me, and my eyes are an important part of my body. I would like to see with this eye, that I use in every aspect of my life. I ask for your help, and I know that God will bless all you do to help a fellow human," Abelino says.

Tomasa is a 36 year old woman from Guatemala. She lives with her seven children in an adobe house with a wood roof. Her husband works on a coffee plantation a couple hours away, so he is often not around. To help with expenses, Tomasa weaves sashes, traditional mayan blouses, and napkins. Weaving is her favorite pastime. Tomasa and her family live on only a couple dollars per day and cannot afford the treatment she needs. Tomasa has had a non-cancerous growth on the outside of her eye for the last couple years, and it continues to get worse. She is now almost unable to see out of that eye, which has made it difficult for her to do simple things around the house, and to weave. If she does not receive surgery, the growth could continue to get bigger and block her vision entirely in that eye, and worsen the burning and itching that she is currently experiencing. Tomasa will receive surgery to remove the growth on her eye, transportation to the hospital, and interpretation between her native Kaqchikel and Spanish. Her vision will be restored, and she will no longer have bothersome itching and redness in her eye, and will have improved vision for years to come. Tomasa said, "I was sad about what was growing in my eye, but now that I know that I can get surgery, I am going to take advantage of this opportunity since I would never be able to pay on my own. I appreciate all of you for the help, so that I can continue weaving without discomfort."