Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Dr. Victor H. Ballesteros Q., Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

It is one of a parent's worst nightmares - to be awakened at one o'clock in the morning by our son who can barely breathe due to swelling and inflammation in his throat.  And his ability to breathe is getting worse by the minute.  We are in a foreign country, it is late in the middle of the night, the nearest hospital is at least 40 minutes distant, we have no local phone service, and we don't really know where the hospital is other than in which town. So Ian, Amy, and I piled into the car and headed out for help.

We stopped at the local police station but they were closed.  At the town square, we found a taxi driver who told us of a nearby open 24-hours medical office. So we made our way in the dark of night to the local neighborhood, the village of Los Pescadores, in this town of Puerto Morelos. We arrived in five minutes at a modest home in this quiet residential neighborhood.  After ringing his doorbell a few times, we awakened and were greeted by Dr. Victor H. Ballesteros Q. He warmly invited us in.   Amy and Ian's Spanish proficiency was very helpful as the doctor spoke only some English. He proceeded through his competent, calm, friendly and engaged manner, to quickly and efficiently address the problems.  

I write this now a day later when remarkable progress and improvement is obvious. The photos were taken the next day during a follow-up visit.

Ian and Dr. Victor Ballesteros.

Sign advertising the location of his clinic.

His clinic and home.

So how do I properly say "thank you" to the man who helped us in our hour of critical need? By spreading far and wide the re-telling of this experience.  To me, Dr. Victor Ballesteros exemplified the highest ideal of medical practice and I am so thankful for his talents on that dark and scary night. Thank you, Dr. Ballesteros, I am forever grateful to you.

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