We have had some great experiences here in Panama. Today we saw 2700 patients and one really touched our hearts. We saw a little boy named Jose, Jose is 4 and autorefracted a plus 14.00 in one eye and has a cataract on the other eye which has no vision. and was totally unresponsive. 

 Dr Ted worked with him as well as Dr Cindy. They found a pair of childrens glasses with a plus 8. When they first put the glasses on Jose was  still unresponsive,  and unable to reach out and grab objects- Bob in dispensing  made some adjustments and put the glasses back on Jose,  he looked around, now came the test- could he see better? They held out a piece of candy in front of him- HE GRABBED IT- they took it away and this time he said- give it back and grabbed it AGAIN!  , We truly made a difference in his life, and he has been referred for cataract surgery. We have seen so many children with cataracts which we have been able to help and also refer for cataract surgery, one as young as 2 years old. We are really making a difference her in Colon Panama.  

We had an awesome  first week seeing around 8000 patients. The Lions Club is very friendly. We had two off days and the LIONS arranged for us to visit the Panama Canal. If you go to pancanal.com you can see actual live feed of ships passing thru the canal. We were able to shop for souveniors and had a great day. We had our Lions dinner tonite which was great and each received a gift, a framed print made by the native Panamanians. Tomorrow we go back to start the last 4 days of clinic, and we expect a big day. 

We had another beautiful but humid day in Panama. We started our day with lines streaming outside the clinic doors! Awesome-Just what we wanted to see. We worked out many of the first few day kinks and hammered along excited and energetic. There were many new experiences and we saw some of the traditional garments of the indigenous people. The women had colorful beads strung all up and down their wrists and lower legs. They were so incredible and allowed us to take many pictures which we will share later. We saw many people in great need and were able to help everyone who came. We saw around 1790 patients and no one was turned away. The best part is our team had just as much energy and excitement leaving the clinic as when we arrived in the morning. TEAM PANAMA ROCKS!!! And thanks to our fearless leaders for the inspiration. More stories to come so stay tuned.... 

Panama Leadership Team Arrival

Leadership Team Arrives in Panama

Hello all & welcome to the Panama BLOG hotspot!!  

Good morning everyone, we wish to welcome you to the Panama 2008 Blog.  The country is very beautiful, colorful, and exciting!!  There are many familiarities here as in the US, such as KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, & guess what Cinnabon! (sorry we have only had one Starbucks citing and it is not near our clinic)  The city is astounding and our location and planning are well on the way!  This is going to be an exciting and adventurous mission, and we can't wait to see you all!!!

Para Que Sabes (so you know)

A tortilla is not just a small round flat piece of bread, it's also an "omelette" that may  contain potatoes, cheese, or other similar items!