A Natural Born Healer

Often we say that it is not only the children whose lives are forever changed by the volunteers of our teams. Victoria Keiser is a senior at Villa Walsh Academy in New Jersey. In her short 17 years on this planet, she has participated in 3 volunteer trips abroad. Below, in her own words, she shares how her participation has changed her life.

I grew up helping people. Compassion was in my blood. My dad is an oral surgeon and my mom, a teacher. These wonderful and caring people have formed my 17-year old personality that yearns to help others. In 8th grade when my dad asked me to be a part of his Peru mission trip of 2005, I jumped at the chance. My only words to him were, "Dad, can you promise I won't see any blood?" I grew up wanting nothing to do with medicine. I wanted to be a teacher and be with children every day. I hated the sight of blood, guts, pus, and all those other bodily fluids. I left for Peru and came back a changed woman. I was only 13 years old and after seeing the poverty and medical needs in Peru, I knew I wanted to change my career plan. Oh, I saw plenty of blood and pus in Peru and I realized that it really didn't bother me as much as I thought. I was cleaning the blood off of the dentists' instruments and watching teeth being pulled and children being scared and parents being thankful. I loved every minute of it and I told my dad that I couldn't wait for the next trip. The next trip I went on was to Guatemala in my junior year of high school. I was much more mature and I felt like a bigger part of the team as I was able to make long-lasting friendships with the team members and help out in a bigger capacity. This trip increased my love for helping people and my dream of one day becoming a doctor. My most recent trip was to Belize in my senior year of high school. I sterilized instruments, held hands, taught dental hygiene practice, handed out toothbrushes, and became a true dental assistant. I am committed to Boston University's class of 2014 to study Human Physiology as a pre-med student. I plan to go through medical school and become a pediatric surgeon and lead trips of my own. In the meantime, I am looking forward to continuing helping others and going on these mission trips with my dad learning about other cultures and helping the poor of the world.

For more pictures of our Belizean adventure...

SNAPFISH

Our Final Day

Our final day was spent at Parish Hall. Reunited, the entire team worked on overdrive to finish treating all of the school children from across the road as well as the remaining children of the area. We also had a school bussed in full of children for treatment. While the day was long and hectic we maintained order and worked hard to finish the goals we had set for ourselves. The grueling day was broken up with a few humorous patients, one including a nine-year-old boy who told us he was having a heart-attack during a filling.

We were also visited by Dr. Solomon, Punta Gorda's only permanent dentist. He seemed shocked to say the least at the level of treatment and the number of students being seen to. All children that we were unable to deliver treatment to due to time constraints were screened and referred to Dr. Solomon. We also were able to donate over 5 bags of medical supplies to Doctor Solomon's clinic.

Our un-belize-able team's treatment numbers were as follows...

We worked a total of 5 days over the course of our time and treated 641 patients.

Of the 641 patients, all received oral hygiene instruction, toothpaste and a toothbrush.

285 fillings were completed.

42 patients received sealants.

65 patients received a cleaning.

529 extractions were performed- multiple extractions on some patients.

The total value of these services is US$282,150, which includes US$12,800 of donated supplies and medication.

An unmeasurable thank you is owed to each and every member of this trip, especially Dr. Greg without whom none of this would have been possible. The members of Team Belize and the children of Punta Gorda thank you.

Please Note

Please note that because of the continued slow internet connection within Belize we have been unable to upload video and pictures to the blog. They will however be added once be return home.

The work continues

The middle of the week the team was split up between the Forest Home Clinic and Parish Hall, a community center in the middle of Punta Gorda. The need for dental care is so great in this region that spreading out between center city and a surrounding suburb was the most effective way to treat children from the entire district. At Parish Hall a large multipurpose community banquet hall was transformed into a dental clinic treating patients with extraction, restorative and hygienic needs. With a large school surrounding the hall there were literally hundreds of students being treated throughout the day. From little faces poking through the shuttered windows to screams, some of laughter and some of tears, coming from all corners of the massive room, the undertaking at Parish Hall was definitely an exciting time.

P.S. WARNING, "un-belize-ably" a wave of hypochondria has swept certain members of the team. To date we have self diagnosed... malaria, lice, dengue fever, bronchitis, varying forms of skin rashes and swollen glands. More maladies are sure to come.

Forest Home Clinic

Our second day on site was spent at Forest Home medical and dental clinic. Only a few minutes outside of the heart of Punta Gorda, the clinic was extremely well equipped. We had 6 dentist chairs, running water, fans, ample lighting and an eager team ready to treat children from the adjoining school and surrounding area. Unfortunately the crowds did not come in full force. We treated a steady stream of patients throughout the morning but on a whole the team was frustrated they could not provide dental care to a greater volume of children.

We did however meet Max. A special needs patient who brought with him an undeniable spirit that touched every team member he met. Waiting before the clinic opened was Max's family. They were one of the first to be treated but before Max was able to enter the patient chair he had to greet everyone he saw with a smile and a hug. He helped screen incoming patients, laughing and giggling with excitement throughout his visit. Luckily, Chrystalla Orthodoxou DDS, who specializes in patients with special needs, was able to offer Max premium care that he never could have received in his home village. To say that his family was thankful is a definite understatement.

We have arrived!

We have arrived in Belize, safe and sound.Notably with all 22 bags of supplies intact. After our 4 hour flight from Newark to Belize City we boarded two 14 passenger planes and took the rocky flight to Punta Gorda, where our mission was to be based.

Our first full day in the field was spent in San Pedro Columbia, Belize - about a 45 minute drive from our home base of Punta Gorda. We set up in the village's school and got to work treating over 100 children over the course of the day. Mostly of Mayan descent, the children on a whole had wonderfully healthy teeth. This however did not mean that our team did not have a lot of work to accomplish today. Multiple hygiene and restoration stations were working non-stop for over 7 hours. Additionally 5 of our doctors were continuously working on extractions of both baby and adult teeth. While some of the townspeople and children were hesitant at first we treated almost every visitor to the clinic as well as educated the assembled groups on oral hygiene and brushing techniques. We left the village with smiles and waves hoping to have as much success as we had today at every clinic this week.