Citie Soleil

Yesterday was exhausting; it was so exhausting, in fact, that I had to wait until today to gather my thoughts. Though we saw half the number of patients as in the day before, we did just as many extractions. About 190 patients of the 850 seen required multiple extractions. 

But it was less the work, and more the teenagers, that exhausted us. This group in Citie Soleil was exasperating. 

Two years ago, Citie Soleil was rated the most dangerous city in the world. Though it no longer caries this distinction, the level of desperation among its inhabitants is no less palpable. 

Citie Soleil has no running water and no sewer system. As we passed through town we saw two small kiosks with a line. These Port a potties were serving a tremendously large population. 

Our dilemma was that we want to place our patients on a pedestal and go the extra mile for them; but, no matter what we did, it was never enough. When we gave a child a tooth brush, they would hide it in their pocket and ask for another.  A little boy about 6 years old would ask to hold your hand then try to take things from your pocket. And at the end of the day, most of the older teens asked us for money.  It was both sad and frustrating at the same time. 

It is impossible to feel anger at these desperate attempts to take from those that have so much more. And sadly, we realize that our effort here will have little impact on the desperation that these people experience. We can only hope that our work will ameliorate some of their pain.  

So, as we wrap up this trip and board the airplane, I'll echo what I said last night at the final meeting. It seems trite with regard to the above, but it still should be said......I am happy to have had the chance to introduce Dr. Jeff a former classmate of mine, and a person that I'm proud to know, to a group that I'm proud to be a part of, where he could see Dr. Bob, a man 20 years my senior, personally examine 1600 patients and where he could hear my friend Kei say "crying children can be contagious but so can positivity." And that's how this group of pediatric dentists and general practitioners succeeded, through contagious positivity. And once again, it was my pleasure to be included in this team.