Several Rotarians and volunteers traveled to Guerrero, Mexico this April to deliver five days of medical care to the indigent patients in the state of Chihuahua. 

Always an adventure, we had a few bumps along the way.  Our bus trip from Juarez to Guerrero took 11 hours, instead of the expected 5 to 6 hours.  We knew we were in trouble when the bus driver asked a man on horseback for directions.  

On the second night, a desert storm with dry winds of 70 miles an hour knocked the power out.  David Landsborough  was instrumental in providing temporary power after the storm, and the clinic was restarted later that day. 

As usual, Walter Branson did a fantastic job of orchestrating and managing this complex event.  Tom Pruett, the father of the clinic, performed eye exams with six other optometrists, and was an inspiration to the group.  Four ophthalmologists including myself, performed eye surgeries, as my husband Hugh Leidlein fixed broken microscopes and instruments along the way to keep us working. Stephen de Leon and Marilyn Brodwick began the video to document all this fun and compassionate hard work to improve people’s lives.

We were also honored to have our district governor, Susie Howe, present and involved in patient care and promoting good will and better friendship.  In all, 54 United States and 66 Mexican volunteers performed:

 1125 eye exams,
222 eye surgeries,
597 general medical exams,
230 dental exams,
100 pap smears,
5 facial surgeries,
5 minor procedures and
635 pairs of glasses were dispensed.
 

Best of all it was a great week of fellowship with some of the nicest, most caring people that I know.  I hope that more of you can join us in October.

 Jane Leidlein, MD