Viewpoint

A Mission That Benefits Doctor and Patient Alike

Larry E. Patterson, MD

I've just returned from my umpteenth medical mission trip to Guatemala. I first went there in the early 1990s with a group called Health Talents International. They had been running mobile clinics in that region for years, providing basic medical and dental care to a poor and neglected portion of that society. The organization had decided to try their hand at surgery, and because of prior experiences I'd had in Mexico with Jerry Freeman, they asked me to come help out.

Ten years ago, we were able to build an actual hospital down in the jungle near the southwestern coast, and many groups come down from the states each year to provide care in the fields of general surgery, orthopedics, gynecology, ENT, plastics, dental, as well as ophthalmology. I always felt we eye guys had the best job. It's hard to imagine a more life-changing operation than one that cures blindness.

Each trip provides a fresh and exciting new story, and this one was no exception. On Wednesday afternoon, at the end of the clinic and after that day's surgeries had been completed, my two-weeks-shy-of-graduation medical student son, along with our team's optometrist, came to get me with more enthusiasm than usual. It turns out that an attractive 26-year-old woman down there had a rather nasty encounter playing soccer a few years earlier, leaving her with light perception vision in her left eye. We examined the very white cataract and — with no need for prodding the patient — made the decision to proceed with the surgery right then and there. (Until recently in the states, Medicare would have made us wait until the next day.)

As is always the case with traumatic injuries, there exists the potential for deeper, unseen damage beneath. She had no friends or family with her, and we explained to her that there was no guarantee of success, but we felt good that we might improve her vision some (yes, we “under-promise, over-deliver” even for compassionate care in developing countries). The surgery went phenomenally well; the patch and shield were applied, protecting the extracapsular wound, and we went off to eat supper.

After supper, curiosity got the best of us. The block should have worn off by now, and our weary team couldn't wait until the morn. We marched back to the ward for a late-night postop exam. The patch was removed, and we waited for a response. Our young patient began crying — fortunately because for the first time in quite a while she could see out of that eye. After we all finished crying as well, we replaced the shield and retired for the evening. At the formal first day visit, her eye looked great, and she could count fingers from her bed as far away as I could go, perhaps 20 feet. We watched later as she went to the mirror and saw herself fully with both eyes for the first time in years.

On page 52 of this issue, Dr. Mitchell Brinks explores the pros and cons of overseas missions. I encourage you to read it and, moreover, I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities. Nothing brings you down to earth more.