Document text
New view of life Photo by Bob Pennell The kindness of family and of strangers has helped Daniel Canchola, 9, get surgery to correct his drooping eyelid. Standing behind Daniel are his parents, Jose Socorro and Guadalupe Flores Canchola. Surgery helps boy with sight He looks better, too -- eyelid droops no more By SUSAN JAY ASHLAND -- A family's determination and the compassion of strangers has given Daniel Canchola a new look at life. The 9-year-old boy from the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, was born with a rare condition that causes a drooping eyelid. To see out from under his right lid, the shy boy used to squeeze his forehead muscles tight and lift his eyebrows way up, or tilt his head back. Today, thanks to corrective surgery arranged for and paid for by strangers in Southern Oregon, Daniel's eyelid stays open. He is all smiles now and said he can't wait to return home and show off. His journey has been nothing like what his family ever expected. In November 1998, his aunt in Ashland organized a fund-raiser to pay for surgery for Daniel in his hometown. Blanco Flores Cruz and his four other aunts, also Ashland residents, placed jars with pictures of Daniel in local Hispanic restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries. Tammy Brazille of Medford, an assistant technician for the ophthalmologists at Siskiyou Eye Center in Ashland, saw the boy's picture and decided to do something to help. "I have children, and I wouldn't want them to have to go through life disfigured," she said. She approached her boss, ophthalmologist William Epstein, and he immediately called Dr. John Hunts, an ocular plastic surgeon, or eyelid specialist, in Eugene. Hunts agreed to perform the corrective surgery for free and even wrote a letter about the procedure to expedite the family's passport process in Mexico. Brazille also enlisted the help of Spanish speaker Josie Moreno, who's in charge of the front desk at Siskiyou Eye Center, to interpret for Daniel's family. Daniel's mother, Guadalupe Flores Canchola, couldn't believe it when she first heard from her sister that people in Ashland and Eugene were interested in helping her son with surgery -- for free. But her doubts melted when she received Hunts' letter for their passport application. She used the $450 already collected by her family in Ashland and took out a loan from a friend to pay for three bus tickets. She and her son left their town of Penjamo on Jan. 15 and arrived in Ashland five days later. Her husband and Daniel's father, Jose Socorro Canchola, followed later. Hunts operated on Daniel on March 4. Daniel's eyelid has no function, Hunts said, because of severe congenital ptosis. Hunts sees about two to three patients a year with the same problem. To help Daniel, Hunts connected the boy's eyelid to his forehead muscles above the eyebrows, using a strip of tendon from Daniel's thigh. "So when he lifts his forehead (muscles) his eyelid opens up," Hunts said. "A lot of times these kids lift their forehead to see. This just helps open the eyelid more, and it's a way to bypass the lid's poor function," Hunts said. The procedure, including surgery room, anesthesiologist and surgeon, cost about $2,500, Hunts said. The cost was waived for Daniel, with Hunts' help. "I've been given a lot and it's nice to give back to people, especially people who are unfortunately under financial hardship," Hunts said. Daniel and his parents will leave March 21 for home, where his seven brothers and sisters wait for them. The Canchero family has spent about $1,100 for this trip, a lifetime investment compared to their $40-a-week earnings as farmers with a small plot of land. But it was worth the money, Daniel's mother said, because Daniel will be happy and no longer the butt of jokes at school. She said she can't thank everyone enough, especially Hunts and Brazille, whom she called a person with a "very good heart." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA