First Day in Manta

Yesterday was our first day in Manta. While two of the temporary clinics were being set up elsewhere, I went to the municipal clinic to help with surgical screenings.  Everyone we saw had already been seen by an Ecuadorian doctor and knew more or less what the problem was. They simply can not afford the surgery so the navy will do it for free.  Here's us getting some last minute advice from Sea Bee Chief Petty Officer Labrada. Basic message: People are watching everything you do, so represent your country properly.

Most of the time I was with the ophthamologists (sadly my colleague who is not here has the pictures) but I also spent some time taking down personal information and creating charts so that the doctors could just fill in the important information.  I had to ask for some personal information for about 30 seconds and then spend five minutes copying the same information on four different forms.  In order to pass the time and be personable I told jokes.  This is when I told a man, ''So if I understand correctly sir, you're here because you've decided to donate your heart to science?''

I had a lot of fun meeting people who needed and help, plus the people that I worked with.  The woman on the left spent all day trying to get me to give her my hat:

But it wasn't all fun;  these people had serious problems.  At one point as I was translating for the ophthamologists I had to tell a young man about my age that his retinal pigmentosis had no cure and that he would be blind for the rest of his life.  He took it pretty well which makes me think that most likely he had already had a diagnosis and was hoping that American doctors would have something else to say.  Unfortunately, as the doctors said, there is no cure even in the most advanced countries.


Things were mostly good, however.  Most people just needed surgery for a cataract or some other growth on their eye.  So here is your Kodak moment for the day, helping with an eye exam for a little girl that needed corrective surgerey for her lazy eye:

I love all of you and I hope to be sending some more pictures soon!