Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Finally...some news + no more donations needed

Finally, some concrete news re. Maria and her eyes. I know a lot of you are as eager to get some firm news as I am. My day went like this (you will notice a common theme):

6.30am: Arrive at the Club de Leones (I only made the connection to the Lion's Club this morning) to wait in line outside the building

7am: Door open. Wait on benches to get a number. Get #11. Wait to pay for consult.

8am: Start taking in patients to pay for consult. Wait some more.

9am: Pay for consult. Back to benches to wait

10.30am: See Doctor

10.30-12 noon: Mix of waiting and being seen by doctor.

12 noon: Go to lab to inquire whether they are open tomorrow (it is a public holiday). They are.

The news:
The carnosidad(es) in both eyes are very large and need to be operated on asap. One eye is looking okay to be operated on, the other is too inflamed and the inflammation needs to die down before that eye can be operated on otherwise there is too much bleeding. In spite of the waiting, I was pleased with the attention and service Maria received at this subsidized clinic for the poor/those who can't afford private care. The consult was the same as she would have received in the private clinic so I cancelled that appointment, especially since the same doctors work at this clinic and the private one we had an appointment at. Maria received her consult for 35Q (~5 USD)!!

Next steps:
We are going to the laboratory tomorrow morning to get various tests done to make sure that Maria is healthy enough for the surgery. We will return with the lab results to Club de Leones on Thursday, and probably wait some more. If the results are all right, Maria can go to Guatemala City on Monday for the surgery.

The cost:
Surgery: 1200 Q
Consults: 200 Q
Lab: 120 Q
Pay forfeited due to absence: 1000Q
Glasses after surgery: 1000 Q
Medicine: not sure but I am guessing it will be around 500Q
Eye-sight: Priceless
Total: ~$520 USD ---- this is MUCH less than I thought it would cost. This is because I thought we would be going through the private route, but it turns out that the public option is just as good and the surgery can be arranged quickly as well.

As a result, I do not need any more donations. THANK YOU so much to everyone who has donated. I have received $750 in donations, and am putting in quite a bit myself, so any extra will go towards Maria's much needed house repairs.

More on what exactly Maria's condition is in my next post.

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