This Young Patient Sang His Thank-You

Luis’s mother woke at 2 a.m. to take her son to the hospital in Salamá, Guatemala. She wanted to be sure he was among the first patients treated by visiting eye surgeons. She was successful and so was the surgery. With medicine and medical supplies donated by Americares, Dr. Thomas Carothers and his team from World Pediatric Project surgically corrected Luis’s misaligned eyes, which will strengthen his vision and help him in school.

After the surgery, the doctors heard someone singing and found their young patient in the recovery room, eyes squeezed shut and coated with post-surgery ointments, singing his thanks for the medical team, his mother and hospital staff who had gathered around.

 Luis* was just one of 59 patients seen by World Pediatric Project in less than a week; the team used Americares-provided products such as pain relievers and surgical supplies to perform more than 20 delicate eye operations.

Worldwide, Americares-supported volunteer medical teams performed nearly 48,000 surgeries in 2016. Each year Americares supports more than 1,000 volunteer medical trips to approximately 80 countries with medicine, supplies and educational resources.

* name change