Monday, June 28, 2010

Pacific Partnership 2010 Doctors Help Mother and Son

Monday, June 28, 2010
Commander, Pacific Fleet
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Gaines
US Navy

06.26.2010 SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia – A mother and her young son will be able to lead better lives as a result of the care provided by Pacific Partnership 2010 surgeons working aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy.
U.S. Navy, partner nation, and non-governmental organization surgeons were preparing to perform corrective surgery to a Cambodian child’s urinary tract when they noticed the boy’s mother had very poor eyesight. The 40-year-old woman was found to have severe cataracts in both eyes. After making arrangements for post-operative care for the son, the embarked ophthalmologists then performed surgery on the mother to remove one of the cataracts.
“As the boy was being prepped for surgery, we noticed the mother feeling her way around the ship,” said Australian Navy Lt. (Dr.) Elizabeth Livingstone, an ophthalmologist currently attached to Mercy.

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