On Saturday, September 13th,
2008: Friends Across the Border did a vision-screening clinic in Tecate, Mexico in conjunction with the Tecate Lions Club. We departed our usual staging area in Yucaipa at 5:00 am, Hemet at 5:45 am and Menifee
at 6:30 am. At 8:17am we arrived at our breakfast stop at Barrett’s Junction. After a quick buffet breakfast we were off to the US/Mexico border, crossing at 9:30am.
With the equipment and eye
glasses off loaded the clinic started at 10:00am sharp. By 3:00pm the last patient
of the day was leaving with their recycled eyeglasses. Listed below is a synopsis
of the day’s clinical findings:
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176 people were seen for the day
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Of the 176, 7 needed no prescription, 9 need their eye glasses
made at the optical lab and the balance received recycled eyeglasses.
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2 needed excision
of their pterygium on at least one eye.
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6 needed cataract surgery on at least one eye.
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2 need follow up on their diabetic retinopathy in 3 months.
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2 need treatment for glaucoma
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1 needs treatment for diabetic maculopathy.
After the clinic, a few hours
were spent updating the racks containing the catalogued eyeglasses. As the cold
beer was consumed during the process, it was just a natural transition onto the evening fiesta. There was plenty of food, beer and socialization with members of the Tecate Lions Club. A mutual exchange of plaques and acknowledgement of each others efforts was made. Additionally, a surprise visit from Sinarita Maria was made to help celebrate Clemente Maldonado’s
50th birthday. It was a nice evening for all involved with the day’s
clinic and ended at 10:00pm as we all headed for some sleep. The day truly expressed
the Lions motto, WE SERVE and demonstrated that need has no borders.
The next day found us packing
the equipment, eyeglasses and our sleeping gear. By 8:00am we were sitting down
to some Mexican sweet bread and torta’s. With our goodbye’s said
we left for the border arriving at 8:30am. Finally across the border at 9:15am
we headed to Rancho San Diego for our usual fueling stop. We left Rancho at 10:10
am and arrived in Hemet at 11:55am. By 12:30 pm we had arrived in Yucaipa to
off load the equipment. By 1:00pm we were all home from the trip.
Listed below are those that
participated directly in the clinic.
Mexico: Chely Pineda, Roberto
Castillo, Hachita Castillo, Javier Urbalejo, Denisse Urbalejo, Ramon Rendou, Conchita Reudon, Juan Antonio Agular, Bankis
Aguilar, Benjamin Almanzar, Gustavo Pineda, Martin Pineda, Benny Pineda, Jose Louis Rodriguez, Hector Urbalejo, Lety Maldonado,
Clemente Maldonado, Diana Banuelos and Xavier Banuelos.
USA: Hemet Lions
Club: Debbie Capen
Palm Springs Lions Club: George Valuer
Calimesa Breakfast Lions Club: Ed Adamson, Don Ranney, Pat Ranney, Ron Meader, Steve Fedor, Rob Manning, Ana Pineda and Brian Van Dusen.
Non-Lions: Mavis Adamson
