This third dental clinic was set up at the home of the Transitions Foundation of Guatemala, an organization geared at mobilizing disabled Guatemalans ranging in age from one-and-a-half
to "elderly." Along with providing wheelchairs or prosthetics, the Transitions program also provides rehabilitative therapy and vocational programs to participants.Co-founder John Bell lives at the house along with eight others in the organization. He estimated the program has about forty participants at any given time, with about 300 "active outpatients."
The Transitions house itself has a workshop where each year about 75 wheelchairs are constructed and another 150 get refurbished. Next door is a print shop the organization has opened as a way of making much-needed money. Both shops are largely run by participants in the program, all of whom are educated through at least high school and taught a trade.
"Everybody's in an educational program," Bell noted.
In the back of this airy house is a small clinical room where the dentists set up their three exam chairs. Outside the fourth exam chair was set up under an open tent; there dental hygenist Julia Gonzales examined patients to determine their treatment needs and administered anasthesia.A short line, part of a list of 24 names waiting to be seen, greeted the team upon their arrival to the house. The cramped clinic was a whir of nonstop activity through the day.
The first patient of the day was Hugo Andrino, whose impacted wisdom tooth had both Dr. Allen Methven and Dr. Jim Ransom working up a sweat.
Maureen Gonzales, who had been working as a dental assistant for Dr. Allen through the week, turned over her mask and suction to Megan Fitzgerald. This freed Maureen to go into the house and offer a bit of physical therapy -- her profession in the States.
In one of the bedrooms, with a poster of the Real Madrid soccar team on the wall, Maureen massaged and stretched Francisco, whose hip muscles were virtually destroyed by polio. Now he was experiencing pain in his lower back whenever he sat for long periods -- such as at his desk -- or after lying down. Maureen helped to relax the muscles that were bothering him and taught him some stretches he could do on his own.
Outside Maureen's husband, Auggie Gonzales, bid a final farewell to young Evelyn, whose El Hato home
he and other team members had visited just days earlier. Evelyn had come to town with her mother on errands and to deliver a thank-you card her elder sister Delmi had made for Auggie, for whom the girls had a special fondness over the past years as Auggie has made visits to the area with the Rotary team. After their last visit Auggie had explained to the girls that he would be flying away on an airplane the next day, and that when they saw an airplane fly overhead they ought wave and bid him adios. Their mother reported that they now ran out to yell "Adios Augustine" (which sounds like "Adios Ow-goo-STEEN") to every passing plane.
By late afternoon the team began packing up as the last patients were moved through. Beyond simply cleaning up everything had to be organized for long-term storage and so that it could be loaned out to other dental teams hoping to work with the Rotary to provide other clinics. This required all the tools and supplies be labelled and packed into boxes, which were then also labelled. The boxes were to be stored at Transitions until thier next use, be it by this dental team or another.
As the team finished packing up, Santo, who lives in El Hato and works as a cook for Transitions, brought around plantanes and mole, a traditional Guatemalan desert of fried plantane bananas covered in a chocolate-like sauce.Over this treat the team began saying good-bye to John Bell and all those at Transitions who had provided much help throughout the week, and to each other. While most of the team left Antigua that night for Guatemala City, from which they would fly out of the next day, some members stayed behind for an extra few days or weeks of vacation. Megan Fitzgerald would meet up with a friend living in the country as a Peace Corps volunteer; Jim Ransom and Erin Durdel planned to tour the country a bit and perhaps go to the ocean, while Dr. Bob MacIlveen would stick around Antigua for a few days of relaxation or perhaps do some touring elsewhere.
"I think we had a wonderfully successful trip," Dr. Bob said in reflection on the week. "I really feel a privilage to be a part of the team. It's the closest thing to nirvana I can imagine," he added with a smile.
Dr. Allen echoed Dr. Bob's sentiments, as did co-organizer Mike Caruso who went on to note that "there wasn't enough time."
"The next trip should be stretched out a few days," Mike added, noting the effect the three location changes had on the team. "Considering the conditions they performed admirably."
"The continuity is encouraging," co-organizer Leroy Benham said of the villagers returning for the second or third year. "The people know us and we know them."
Looking ahead Leroy said he'd like this project to become more of a "community development project where we partner with (the villagers)."
This year was the third of a five year committment made by the Newberg Noon Rotary club to this particular project. While specifics aren't yet in the works, the team will definitely be returning next year.
