Making Miracles in the High Andes

Posted by Frank Balderamos 
on Jul 14, 2010
 
How many fourteen year olds have performed dental procedures at 14,000 feet?  Parker Godwin, son of Rotarian Frank Balderamos and his wife Nora, is one and there may be no others!  Parker was part of the 15 member team lead by Rotarian Dr. Bert Thacker up into the High Andes of Peru on a dental mission.  The team visited five villages in five days and performed sealants, fillings, extractions, examinations and fluoride treatments on nearly 1,000 kids!
Rotarian Jonathan Adam was in charge of sterilizing all of the dental tools and performed his job extremely efficiently and with a big smile.  Jonathan’s wife, Sian, acted as dental assistant to Dr. Eduardo Ochoa and, despite language difficulties, was the best assistant he has ever had!  Eduardo is a native Peruvian and his father Marco helped arrange the entire trip, as well as acted as “kid wrangler” for the five days.  Marco is a hotelier and tour operator in Peru and without him and his son, along with their incredibly skilled bus driver Americo, the trip could not have taken place.  The expert guidance and assistance of our new Peruvian friends made the trip both efficient and enjoyable. 

Chantel “Smoothly” Moodley of Smiles was doing sealants and small fillings.  Chantel was the backbone of the trip and kept us all organized and on track.  The aforementioned Parker acted as her dental assistant for the 5 days.  Lindsey Brown and Sarah Vaughn are two dental students from Texas who also came on the trip.  Their youthful energy and enthusiasm for their future careers kept us all motivated throughout the trip.  Rotarian Frank Balderamos alternated between being a dental assistant and controlling the on/off switch for the suction system (Yes, it’s as simple as it sounds, but he just wasn’t qualified to do anything else).

According to Dr. Bert, the most important part of our mission wasn’t the dental work we performed, but the education we provided to children who have been raised with no regard (or instruction) for proper dental care.  This part of our effort was guided by three special people.  Chris Roides lead the Tooth Brushing University, and did so with passion and an obvious affection for the children.  Nick Kladitis helped out with the University and was also in charge of fluoride treatments.  Nick is a former flight attendant from Canada who spends a large part of his retirement working with the poorest of the poor in Peru.  His commitment (not to mention his Spanish language skills) were an inspiration to everyone, and we wish him well as he continues with his vital work.  Nora Balderamos rounded out this trio.  Besides helping with the University, Nora’s main task was to hand out toys and clothing to the children after their treatment and education were complete.  Her marvelous organization skills and warmth towards the children made their day even more special.

 

Despite being extremely ill for the first days of the mission, Roy Rojas was a vital member of our team.  A former Cayman resident now back in his native Costa Rica, Roy did it all!  Roy set up equipment, then quickly fixed any equipment that broke down, then assisted with tooth extractions, then prepared two of the most memorable meals of our lives.  Those who have been on previous dental missions with Dr. Bert will remember Roy’s cooking fondly.  The only regret of the 2010 team is that we didn’t get to eat Roy’s cuisine every night! 


Of course Bert Thacker deserves a special mention.  Bert’s patient demeanor under tremendous stress was wonderful.  His dedication to ensuring these missions are successful is impressive.  Let us all remember that Vocational Service is a key Avenue of Service in Rotary, and Bert is a superb example of how to travel down this Avenue.  Bert is not only committed to his patients, but also to promoting his vocation and training new dentists (as evidenced by his patient work instructing the two dental students on the 2010 team).  


So, this is where your fundraising dollars have gone Rotary Sunrise.  Our Club contributed $5,000 to this year’s mission, which covered about 1/3 of the costs.  Bert has dreams of building a permanent clinic (or two) in Peru and it would be wonderful to see our Club support him in this effort.


We all had a fantastic time, though we were exhausted when we got home. The scenery, the fellowship, the connection with native Peruvians, and the sense of having accomplished something will not soon be forgotten.  We hope all members of Rotary Sunrise are able to go on one of these missions at least once in their lives!