These were the first patients - and unfortunately for 81 year old Matches, he was the first. I will show his eye on an adjacent blog soon. On this second blog, I will show awsome close up photos of the proceedures on these patients.

These are just one day's post ops.

This young girl was in the adjacent hospital. She had an epileptic sesiure and fell face first into a fire. She would not open her eyes because of the pain. Her father never left her side and in this photo, was preparing to take her for a walk. Since our return, we have herd that she is doing well.

Mercy has Steven Johnson Syndrom. This photo shows Mercy, minutes after surgery, looking into her husband's eyes for the first time in over 4 months. I will tell more of this emotional story in a future posting.

His right eye has been remove previously, and there was nothing we could do for his left eye. The likely cause - HIV.

Her eye lashes are turned under and are damaging her cornea as she blinks. We were able to correct the lashes by removing a portion of her lid and re-positioning her lashes. The cause of her trachoma is clamidia.

This lady had a squemous cell carsanoma covering her entire pupil and iris. After removing the surface of the cancer, we found that it was growing in to the eye. This eye will have to be removed on a future visit. The likely cause for such a extreme case - HIV.

This lady had a squemous cell carsanoma on her right eye that we were able to remove and patch with an amnionic stem cell graph. The likely cause - HIV.

4 year old Sazja, had injured his eye with a stick or branch and then it got infected. We covered the eye with a amnionic graph to keep it from having to be removed. His vision will be permanently limited - that is if he has any left.

Outside the clinic, family members waited, sometimes for days.

I helped made sure patients had the necessary drops and the YAG Laser (Cataract Patients) was adjusted for the doctor. We tried to keep him moving, so that we could help as many as possible.

I set up and then, while Dr. Colquhoun fired the SLT Laser (Glaucoma Patients) , I adjusted the power.

After the second hospital surgery on 4 yr old Sazja, Dr. Colquhoun presented some instruments to the hospital that a friend in Battle Creek had donated. The hospital and eye clinic exist only because of donated time and materials.

I will have something to say in later postings regarding each of these individuals. They were an awsome, helpful, and fun group. It is pretty cool to travel to the other side of the planet and meet people no different than ourselves.

This is the, not so safe, path across from Victoria Falls.

"The Light" falls on the enterance to the hospital and eye clinic.

A worshiper, deep in prayer, during a 3 hour church service.

Looking out an open window at the foot of a loved one's hospital bed.

The next morning we began seeing the patients. Within a couple of hours Dr. Colquhoun was doing surgeries.

The patients had been notified by one page anouncements. Many traveled days by foot. Some from surrounding countries. There are less than 10 ophthalmologists in Zambia (the size of Texas).

The entire porch was occupied by patients so eager to get help, that they had wated for days sleeping out side , on concrete, next to people they didn't know.

We unloaded the more than 700 pounds of supplies that we brought to help our friends. We were each allowed 2-50lb check in bags and one carry on. To bring as much as possible, we tried to keep our personal items to our carry-ons.

We arrived at the Zimba Eye Clinic after the sun had set.

These first two photos are of children in the eye clinic.
The camera was the perfect tool to divert the children's attention from their pain and fear.

This little girl forgot what she was crying about.















I finally got this girl to smile after I showed her an earlier photo where she looks like Mickey Mouse. The head rests looked like two big ears when she was sitting up. She more than likely didn't know who MM was, but I think she did realize that I did not want her to feel bad.



These children were ready to be photographed after Sunday Service.

A future minister, for sure.

5.

4.
3.

2.

1. I don't understand why this little girl felt she had to hide such a pretty face, when I aimed my camera her way. The resulting photos made me thankful that she did.

This 83 year old could never have made it to the clinic with out her daughter's help. For years, cataracts had limited her life style by rendering her blind.

She made it clear that her years of needing help just to shuffle around like a permanent dependent were over. She couldn't control her excitement after Dr. Colquhoun and Dr. Waterbury removed her patch, just one day following cataract surgery.

What I have learned since the trip, was that before I came into the exam room, Dr. Colquhoun had been up dancing with the excited patient. I have seen the video. I will attach it to the blog in the future. It is very cool. Stay tuned.

Ouch!!!!

Ouch!!!!

Will you share your rock with me?

These guys made me feel like I was back home with my nephews.

One by one each of the baby baboons left their mother's side and jioned in the action. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it seemed the rock had some special value. Sometimes we put so much value in the things that really don't matter.

The people of Zambia were very peaceful, otherwise.

I will be posting more this weekend. I have been occupied by hockey, a weekend with Terri's and Jim's families, some initial African Mission presentations, oh - and the cold, ice and snow.

I have been overwhelmed by the interest that many doctors, staff members, and friends have expressed in supporting and attending a future mission. Just yesterday, I talked with my Mom's doctor after she had a minor medical proceedure. Mom's doctor just returned from a medical mission in Hondurus. The doctor had attended the mission with a couple of ophthalmologists that I call on. I had no idea the doctors had attended the same medical mission. This continues to prove that it is a "small world". I do have another internet site where one can follow and find opportunities to get involved in supporting a medical mission - www.visionoutreach.org.

Featured on this posting are some of the children in Zimba that I found happy to be photographed. Much more to come.