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In addition to helping in the eye clinic, the youth team brought over 1,500 toothbrushes to give to the people. Canvasback co-founder Jacque Spence said, “Last year, the Canvasback dental team worked on Yap and found the dental needs overwhelming. There are so many children who have a mouthful of cavities. There’s a great need to teach the children to brush their teeth.” “We toured around to all the public schools and shared Jesus and toothbrushes,” said Savannah, who had collected more than 600 toothbrushes and packs of dental floss prior to the trip. “I even learned a magic trick that went along with the theme of brushing your teeth and learning about Jesus. All the kids, K-12, were very receptive to the teaching.” The youth team also shared music and prayer in the villages, with residents asking the group to pray with them about specific matters in their lives. They sang, played musical instruments and taught Christian songs to the crowd, who danced and sang with the music. In a land where opportunities to receive medical treatment can be few and far in between, the enduring combination of music, prayer and faith goes a long way toward healing the people. For Lauren Grado, one of the most touching moments occurred during a visit to the outer villages. “We had been going through these small neighborhoods of little huts and singing to different families,” she explains, “One of the mothers had heard us singing so she came out of the hut dancing and clapping. To me it showed that two people can live thousands of miles apart and still be dancing together for the same great God.”
Ear, Nose, and Throat SpecialistsHeal People of Kosrae
Dr. James Reese was amazed by the number of PE tubes needed by the children. An ear, nose, and throat team began the New Year by healing people on the small island of Kosrae, in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Organized by Canvasback Missions co-founder Jacque Spence, the 10-member team provided examinations and treatment for more than 500 patients and performed 91 surgeries in just nine days. They also dispensed 21 hearing aids to patients and gave other much needed medical supplies to the Kosrae State Hospital. Led by Dr. James Reese (Sonora, CA), with the help of Dr. James Sadoyama (Walla Walla, WA) the team provided a range of services including examinations, ear cleaning, and 65 “bilateral tympanometry” and PE tube surgeries. “We were amazed by the number of PE tube surgeries needed,” commented Dr. Reese. “It seemed to be the surgery of the trip.” The tympanometry and PE tube surgery involves making a tiny hole in the eardrum and inserting a tube to allow drainage of fluid. It is a standard procedure in the United States. Other more involved surgeries included tympanoplasty, thyroidectomy, and maringotomy.
Dr. James Sadoyama (right) is assisted in surgery by surgical tech Buk Manson. Dr. Robert Veder (Nipomo, CA) administered 128 audiology exams and provided 21 hearing aids for people who had not been able to hear for years. Hearing aids are nonexistent in Kosrae. One of the patients who received a hearing aid was a 12-year-old girl who had been suffering from hearing loss since the second grade. Dr. Veder said that when he fitted her with a hearing aid, although she seemed hesitant at first, the expression on her face when she could finally hear spoke volumes of her delight and appreciation. Anesthesiologist Jamal Mustafa (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), surgical tech Stephen “Buk” Manson (Sonora, CA) and registered nurse Lynn Kriegs (Sonora, CA) rounded out the operating room staff. Amy Peat (Vallejo, CA) and Kelly Russell (Benicia, CA) lent administrative assistance and culinary skills to the team. Kosrae State Hospital has a great need for supplies, equipment and trained professionals. Problems that would be considered routine go undiagnosed, often causing further complications that could be avoided if preventive measures were taken. When the Canvasback team arrived, they found that there was only one canister of isoflurane, a vaporizer needed for the anesthesia machine. This inexpensive item was nevertheless essential for surgery and they only had enough to last three days. The item had been on order for four months, and the Canvasback team had to have several canisters shipped in by air freight in order to continue operating. Although it is the second largest island in the FSM, Kosrae has a small landmass that is home to approximately 8,000 people. The locals of Kosrae are a gracious and gentle people who welcomed the team with open hearts. Although limited in resources, almost daily the patients brought gifts such as fresh fruit or sugar cane in appreciation for the donated services.
Donna Reese was delighted by the dramatic changes she witnessed in the children after surgery. “One of the most rewarding things to see was the difference in the countenance of the people, specifically the numerous children, when they came in for their tympanometry and PE tube post-op checkups,” commented Donna Reese (Sonora, CA), the speech language pathologist, who assisted Dr. Veder in the clinic. “The listless and vague expressions on their faces, often caused by fluid found in the middle ear, were replaced by alertness to everything going on around them and bright expressions on their faces. It was almost like seeing different children.”
Teams Provide Dental/Orthopedic Care to Ebeye IslandersTwo Canvasback Missions specialty teams provided care on Ebeye in the Marshall Islands March 15-30, 2007. An orthopedic team performed 10 total knee replacements, 20 arthroscopy surgeries and various other orthopedic procedures while a dental team treated 417 dental patients. Organized by Jacque Spence, co-founder of Canvasback Missions, the 23 team members hailed from Florida, Maryland, Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Idaho and Oregon.
Orthopedic and Dental Team Members Headed up by Robert Wells, M.D., Portland, Ore., the orthopedic team performed total knee joint replacements and arthroscopy utilizing donated equipment which they left at the hospital in Ebeye. Some of the patients had not been able to walk for more than ten years. Wells also trained Ebeye’s only orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Trinidad, to use the equipment.
Donald Noel, PA, and
Robert Wells, MD, perform The dental team, led by Milford Anholm, DDS, Loma Linda, Calif., helped to relieve a large backlog of patients needing dental services. School children crowded the halls every afternoon to be examined and treated. “The amount of dental caries and bombed-out teeth was overwhelming,” Anholm said. “It’s painful to see children suffer with a mouthful of tooth decay.” Working with Ebeye dental personnel, the team was able to treat more than 50 patients per day.
With more than 12,000 people living on a mere 80 acres, Ebeye is the most populous island of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands,” said Spence. “Putting together this trip was one of the most challenging things we have done. It took a lot of help from many people and corporations to make this trip possible. Orthopedic surgery requires very strict sterile conditions and Dr. Wells tried to emulate the conditions that he normally works in by bringing over all the same supplies – the same implants and drapes and screws - which he uses at Portland Adventist Hospital.”
Orthopedic Patients In the end, we filled to the brim a 20-foot container. Crawford and Crawford Crating in Benicia not only built crates in which to package all the orthopedic and dental equipment and supplies but they also helped to load a 20-foot container that was donated by Matson Lines. Mt. Diablo Hospital donated medical supplies and equipment which was vital for the orthopedic work. Medical and dental companies from all over the United States - such as Smith Nephew and Richards, Cardinal Health, Kerr Dental, and Ultradent - helped to make this mission possible.” “This trip went extremely well and we made a significant impact,” Dr. Wells reflected. “Our Marshallese patients were so warm and trusting and the hospital staff went the extra mile to make this happen.” Dr. Trinidad expressed his gratitude, writing,” I feel so blessed to see my patients receive the medical care they need after so many years of waiting. Thanks also for the many and countless donations. We are very much thankful for your kindness and continued support.”
Canvasback Deploys Dental/Orthopedic Teams Individuals, companies rally to support March 15 marks the beginning of one of Canvasback’s most ambitious mission trips yet, when two teams of missionaries travel to the tiny, overcrowded island of Ebeye to care for a long list of needy patients and to train personnel at Leroj Kitland Memorial Health Center in up-to-date procedures. Team members hale from states across the U.S., including Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona, California, Washington, Idaho and Virginia. The Canvasback dental team, led by Milford Anholm, DDS, includes: Richard Nakabayashi, DDS; Glenn Richey, DDS; Jackie Ashe, RDH; Deborah Howell, DA; Carlene McKay Richey, assistant; Christopher Howell, maintenance; Miriam Cho, assistant; and Amy Peat, coordinator. The team also includes two third-year dental students from Loma Linda University: Elisa Song and Tara Ericson. This team has their work cut out for them. Working with Ebeye’s Dr. Timota Taniera, they hope to treat up to 50 patients per day in an effort to relieve the overwhelming backlog of patients in desperate need of dental services. They also intend to train the Ebeye dental staff to do four-handed dentistry. The Canvasback orthopedic team is headed up by Robert Wells, MD, and includes Max Hammond, anesthesiologist; Jim Carlson, MD; Donald Noel, PA; Carol Hogue, RN; Marilyn Shipp, PT; Vicki Nakabayashi, RN; Susan Wells, assistant; and Jacque Spence, coordinator. The team’s challenge is to perform joint replacement and arthroscopic surgeries, highly advanced procedures for such remote and austere conditions. This mission was particularly complicated to pull together because of all the specialized surgical equipment and supplies needed by the orthopedic team. Preparations were months in the making, as tons of donated equipment and supplies had to be collected and shipped to Ebeye in advance. Jacque Spence said "It was a great and daunting undertaking, to be sure, but our God is even greater! One by one, He has brought people, companies, supplies and logistics together in a way that was simply amazing to watch!" Some of the many generous individuals and companies that rallied to make this mission possible include:
Help is still needed: If you would like to donate toward the purchase of anesthetic, toothbrushes, and pharmaceuticals, please call the Canvasback office today. An anesthesiologist is still needed to participate in an ENT mission to Yap in June. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer, please call us at (800) 793-7245.
Ultrasound Specialist Early detection using donated equipment When ultrasound specialist Susan Price was asked to participate in an upcoming radiology trip to the Marshall Islands, she knew that a good working ultrasound machine would be essential. An associate professor at Kettering College of Medical Arts in Ohio, Price had already traveled on three Canvasback trips to Micronesia with radiologist Robert Hewes to teach radiography and ultrasound techniques. "On every island where I have worked, their ultrasound machines have been old and in poor working condition," she said. "I have never seen the extent of disease and what it can do like I have experienced while caring for people on the islands of Micronesia. An ultrasound machine is so needed in the islands, where there is a lot of gestational diabetes and late prenatal care." Price called on several friends, asking for help in finding someone to donate one. "The timing of your call was incredible," said one of her friends. It turns out that, just the day before, the friend had learned of a machine that was available for donation. So it was that the hospital in Majuro received an ultrasound machine as a gift from Oakcreek Ob/Gyn Clinic in Beavercreek, Ohio and Canvasback Missions in February. Price was there to set-up the new machine and train hospital personnel in its use. She also conducted a series of lectures on ultrasound interpretation to 178 hospital personnel. "As always, I am struck by the good heartedness of the people I meet on the islands and their eagerness to learn about how we practice medicine in the United States," Price reflected. Those who attended Price’s lectures as well as her training said they were extremely beneficial. In the past, they have gone off-island for instruction and have not had the benefit of hands-on, one-on-one training. The donated machine has a specific ob/gyn package and utilizes "color flow Doppler," a specialized capability that detects blood flow and is highly useful for cases involving obstetrics and vascular structures.
Price
trained x-ray techs Junior John (left) and Price kept a journal detailing her impressions of some of the 84 ultrasound studies she did while in Majuro. Here are some of her entries:
Dr. Kevin, the only ob/gyn physician on Majuro, expressed his thanks to the physicians who donated the machine, saying, "their generosity will have a direct effect on the health and well being of the women and children of the Marshall Islands."
The
capability of color flow Doppler will be particularly Price summed up her experience in the islands by saying, "The machine has already proven to be an excellent diagnostic tool. Early detection of medical conditions is an important key to successful treatment and can save many lives. "Thanks to Canvasback for allowing me the opportunity to serve the people of Micronesia. It was a very rewarding experience that was a direct result of people reaching out to help others and also a very satisfying personal experience to actually be there to see the positive results that happened because of Canvasback and those who donate to the mission."
When it Rains, God Pours Out His Blessings… Canvasback team repairs church, provides medical and dental care in Kosrae "Don’t play in the mud!" Many of
us remember hearing this admonition when we were children (or
telling it to our own children). When the team arrived in Kosrae, the church looked as if a hurricane had hit it—church members had been so excited that they had already torn off the roof! Pastor Manuelito deGuzman explained their enthusiasm by saying, "We have been praying for 10 years for help to fix our church."
Enthusiastic church members tore off the old, rusted out roof before the Canvasback team even arrived. The Canvasback team may have been God’s answer to their prayers; however things did not start out as planned. For days it poured rain nearly nonstop, drenching the inside of the church and churning up fields of thick mud all around the grounds. But the rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the workers, who put in eight 12-hour days to finish the job. Working side by side with Kosrae church members, they installed a new roof and a redwood lattice ceiling on the building and laid new tile on the floor. Outside they dug through the mud to create cement sidewalks, install backboards, rims and lighting on the basketball court, and prepare an area to become a volleyball court.
A beautiful
lattice ceiling and new tile floor were just some Handpicked by God "Witnessing the skills and fortitude of the team members made me think of 2 Chronicles, where Solomon assembled master craftsmen to build the temple of the Lord," says Canvasback co-founder Jacque Spence, who coordinated the trip. "It was obvious that God had handpicked a group of extraordinary people just for this mission." One of these "extraordinary people" was Leonard Grado, Placerville, who served as construction superintendent for the project. "Leonard had such an incredible vision for the building," says Jacque. "It went way beyond anything the islanders had imagined or hoped for."
Leonard
Grado (center) had many willing helpers to make Leonard came with his own band of worker bees, including his 15-year-old daughter Lauren, his sister Mary Ann Schumacher, Murrieta, and friends Jeffrey Abel, Diamond Springs, and Kevin Console, Fair Oaks. He gave them and the other team members credit for "working every bit as hard as I did, or harder" to accomplish so much in such a short timeframe. "I was also very impressed with the young people," he says. "They worked hard and gave a great effort.
Four of the
eight youth came from the Pleasant Hill SDA
Church, When not doing construction in the rain, many of the youth worked with the children during Vacation Bible School or assisted in the medical clinic. Olivia Hurst, 15, Fairfield, especially enjoyed helping with VBS. "Singing, telling stories and doing crafts with the kids was cool," she says. "It’s rewarding to see how other people live and to help them. The little kids get so excited about that we take for granted."
Olivia Hurst with two of the youngest Vacation Bible School children. Kendall Trood, 15, American Canyon, says for her the most rewarding aspect of the trip was helping at the Canvasback eye clinic, measuring visual acuities and finding glasses for the patients. "It’s so easy to go and get a pair of glasses here [in the U.S.]," she says, "but they don’t have the resources we do. It was an eye opening experience for me, just knowing I was making a difference in their lives."
Youth team
members Kendall Trood (left) and Lauren Grado Reconnecting With Old Friends Returning to Kosrae after a 25-year absence were John and Dolly Jackson, Sacramento. They were living and working in Kosrae when the original church was built. In fact, John designed the church, helped obtain the charter for the school, and served as its first principal from 1979-1981. Dolly taught at the school. John and Dolly were delighted to reconnect with people they hadn’t seen in a quarter century. One of these people was Nellie Neth, then a sixth grade student and now the school principal. "Nellie’s father was one of the first Adventists on the island, and he donated the land for the school," John says. John worked on the church while Dolly ran a Vacation Bible School for around 85 children, assisted by some of the youth. "They had never experienced anything like it," says Dolly of the children ages 2-16 who were enthralled by the daily offerings of music, art projects, and Bible videos. "Kids from the public school would start coming at noon and would wait three hours for the program to begin."
Dolly
Jackson leads the Vacation Bible School, assisted by Dolly is particularly proud of the participation of her home church and school, Sacramento Adventist Academy, where she and John both teach. Upon learning of the needs in Kosrae, children from kindergarten through 8th grade started bringing in everything from toys and balls and books to school supplies. In addition, people from the Sacramento school and church provided every item on a wish list for the Kosrae school and church, says Dolly, things such as a stove, washing machine, chain saw, vacuum cleaner, sewing machine, two keyboards and furniture. Team members Chris and Debbie Howell, Clarksville, MD, also relived old memories of time spent in this remote corner of the world. Twenty years ago they served as student missionaries in the Marshall Islands. "Ever since we lived there we’ve had a passion for the people in that part of the world," says Chris. Following college, their service as missionaries took them to Ethiopia for four years and to dozens of other countries on shorter missions. But they had never returned to Micronesia again until now. They spent two and a half weeks in the Marshall Islands volunteering at the school before joining the team in Kosrae. Chris helped with the roofing, concrete and electrical work while Debbie worked as a dental assistant at the Canvasback dental clinic. "We literally felt like we were home again," says Chris. "Kosrae was country number 38 for us to work in and is top of the list. It was very rewarding work. The people were genuinely appreciative; over and over they expressed their thanks." Ministering Health While some team members worked on renovating the church and providing a VBS for the children, others ministered to patients with eye and dental needs at the hospital. Optometrists Peter Hetzner and Judy Prima, both of Lodi, dispensed 456 pairs of prescription and reading glasses to the grateful islanders. Rita Giebel, San Bernadino, served as ophthalmology clinic assistant. Meanwhile ophthalmologists Loren Denler, Loma Linda, and Art Giebel, San Bernadino, performed 104 surgeries on cataracts, pterygiums and other eye problems. They were assisted by O.R. nurses Sandy van Iderstein, Danville, and Linda Lee, Moraga.
Ophthalmologist Art Giebel enjoys a bit of fun Art Giebel grew up in the mission field and actively participates in mission trips every few months. Known for his tall stature and for singing songs in the operating room, he is a character the island people look up to, both literally and figuratively. Art is also known to take breaks between surgeries to give educational talks to patients in the waiting room. At one point he was invited to speak before the Kosrae Legislature about the risk factors for the islands’ most prevalent eye diseases. "I have a burden for prevention," he says. "Physicians have a personal responsibility to share with people who come to us for help. I strongly believe in education on each and every trip." Team dentist Louis Cuccia, Lincoln, shares this strong belief that the first responsibility of a health care provider is to educate their patients. "I look at myself as a healer and a teacher," he says. "If I don’t teach them something, I’m not a doctor, because a doctor is a teacher." This was Louis’ first overseas mission, and he jumped in with both feet. With only three dentists on an island of 8,000 people, his team had more patients than it could treat. "I found gross caries in almost every child," he says. "Most had five to 12 cavities minimum. And just about everyone has gum disease. One young girl came in with only three teeth left in her mouth, and even those couldn’t be saved."
Many of the
patients who came to see Louis Cuccia Undaunted, Louis believes that, with education, it’s not too late for the people to change the lifestyle habits that lead to diabetes, tooth decay and so many other health problems. He points to the body’s miraculous ability to repair itself as God’s way of giving them a second chance. "God has built in us the ability to stay well, live and thrive," says. In the end, all three teams returned to the states exhausted yet elated to have been able to bring so much help, health and joy to the people of Kosrae. As Jacque Spence noted, "Rain or no rain, God truly poured out His blessings on this mission."
The Sounds of Micronesia The following message and song were written by Chris Howell shortly after returning from Kosrae in March. Micronesia and her peoples have a
way of getting into your heart and forming impressions that leave
you a changed person. It had been 20 years since Debbie and I had
been there, and ever since that first experience we've always known
that we had to go back. Well, a few days later the
teacher of the 8th grade class at the Ebeye SDA School asked me if I
would be willing to write a song for the graduating 8th grade class
of 2006. He explained to me that the class name was "Lapitas". I had
never heard of a lapita. So how in the world would I ever write a
song about lapitas? And I also couldn't think of a single word in
English that rhymes with "lapita"!
Typhoon Aftermath: Last September Canvasback Missions sent a 40-ft. container stuffed with supplies and equipment for the Yap hospital and school to aid in the rebuilding efforts after Typhoon Sudal devastated the island. Recently, mission co-founder Jacque Spence had an opportunity to visit Yap and was surprised at how difficult the progress had been. "It took me only five minutes to realize that all those supplies were merely a drop in the bucket," she says. Jacque remembers walking around the grounds of the Yap Seventh-day Adventist School and being amazed by the conditions. “The apartments for the student missionaries are barely livable,” she says. “Holes in the walls and ceiling are patched with plywood and they have no furniture except for the folding tables and chairs that we shipped in September." “Everyone has worked hard to rebuild the elementary classrooms, but the teachers still need all the basic supplies like crayons, paper clips, and staplers and paper (you would not believe how much paper costs in the islands!). They need so many things, and I returned home determined to help them.” Once back in California, Jacque began talking to everyone she knew and collecting items for another 40-ft. container. The Trailblazer Pathfinder Club of Pleasant Hill filled back packs with school supplies and local businesses have donated everything from mattresses to washer/dryers to windows. Another company is helping to purchase computers for the schools. But there is still a long way to go before the container is packed on June 2. “I want that container to be filled with all the things the school needs," Jacque says. "Things like soccer balls, volley balls and nets, kick balls, tether balls, basket balls, sewing machines, pots and pans, sofas, kitchen tables and chairs, dressers, ceiling fans, cases of copy paper, construction paper, laser printers, and a welding machine.”
Team Brings Sight When Elsie Lokkon saw herself in the mirror for the first time in many years, she was overcome with joy! So she asked her family to braid her hair. She then returned to the eye clinic with hair braided and her face beaming. Two days before, Elsie’s family had lead the
80-year-old Ebeye woman in to the Canvasback eye clinic. When Dr.
Ronald Evans (Placerville, Calif.) examined Elsie, her vision was
dark and blurry, her demeanor passive and non-expressive. But today
was a different story! "The blind receive sight . . . and the good news is
Elsie was among the 58 people who received the gift of sight during Canvasback's trip Ebeye, in the Marshall Islands April 11-20, 2005. At 80 acres in size and home to more than 10,000 people, Ebeye is perhaps the most crowded community in the world.
Just getting to Ebeye is a challenge in itself. The team had to bring everything they would need from the States—16 boxes each packed with 70 lbs. of supplies and delicate equipment. To help facilitate the mission, the team received rare and difficult to obtain clearance to stay on the U.S. Army base at Kwajelein, a 30-minute ferry ride from Ebeye. Among equipment the team brought with them was a loaned A-Scan, an ultrasonic measuring and imaging device that calculates interocular lens powers for cataract surgery. Imagine their alarm, then, when they opened the box containing the A-Scan, to find that it had been sent without a power cord! Without the A-scan, they would be unable to operate and the clinic would be effectively shut down before it began. Their hearts, nevertheless the team prayed fervently for a solution…and God provided one in the person of Alan Taylor, R.M.I. Relations Specialist, who hosted the team on Kwajelein. When Taylor learned that the team desperately needed a power cord with a specific connector and a specific transformer, he was determined to help. Although the offices were closed for the weekend, Alan tracked down all the right people. Forty-eight hours later, just before the clinic opened, the team was handed the power cord they needed.
Terry Gimble, head of the
Calibration The team screened 367 patients and gave away 279 pairs of glasses. They also brought and installed an Iridex green light laser machine and taught the local ophthalmologist how to use it to treat patients with diabetic retinopathy. In all, the Canvasback team provided $445,954 worth of supplies and services (Based upon N. California 2005 Medicare and Surgical Center Rates)."God will not forget your work and the love
Patients wait to have
the patches removed from their
Ebye's ophthalmologist
Ronald Santiago learned how to
The Dream Continues... Developing a teaching center for dentistry in the Federated States of Micronesia—it’s a dream that Dr. Tom Wieg, Canvasback’s board chairman, has nurtured for years. That dream began coming true in 2004 when he and fellow Canvasback dentist Bob Stafford traveled to Pohnpei to lead Phase I of a program designed to revolutionize dentistry in the islands. In addition to training the Pohnpei dental staff in modern procedures—such as infection control, uniform tray setups, patient flow, clinical techniques, and "four-handed" (assisted) dentistry—the Canvasback mission team installed a central vacuum system and repaired a variety of existing dental equipment to modernize the clinic, which was a good 20 years behind in technology.
During Phase
I of the program, Canvasback dentist Why Pohnpei? Of the four nation states that make up the FSM, Pohnpei has the most dental personnel and the largest facilities. However even in Pohnpei demand still far outstrips supply in terms of patients who need care. Pohnpei Dental Director Marcelle Gallen says that her 20 trained dental providers are not nearly enough to meet the needs of its 34,000 residents. Problems cited by Dr. Gallen include:
Dr. Wieg says that Pohnpei was chosen to be the teaching center for reasons of personnel, facilities and leadership. "First, they have the most trained personnel (20) in the form of dentists, dental nurses, assistants and trained laboratory staff," he says. "They also have the most well equipped clinic, with seven dental operatories. Teaching there is easier because of the ease of using multiple treatment rooms for education using live patients. "The facilities make a big difference for large numbers of people," he says. Staff from another island clinic could come in and train easily. Eventually we would like to have the local staff do the teaching themselves." "Pohnpei also has a very progressive dental chief in the person of Dr. Marcelle Gallen," he says. "She is tops and wants to improve all the time. This is key to success for any clinic to improve. Everyone there is so eager to learn new things." Key Components of Phase II Canvasback volunteers are busily preparing for Phase II of the program in August. Phase II will focus on upgrading the clinic x-ray equipment and teaching x-ray techniques. It will also focus on providing additional training for the dental staff in patient diagnoses, treatment and lab techniques. "We plan a refresher course on composite resin restorations, sterilization in August," says Dr. Wieg. "Comprehensive exam and diagnosis will also be taught to help the staff plan a treatment for patients instead of just treating emergencies all the time. The focus will be on detecting decay early and preventing so many lost teeth." Key personnel for Phase II include Tom Lengyel of Bio-medical Co. and brother Adam Lengyel, who will be responsible for installing the x-ray equipment and teaching the staff how to use it. Also key to the mission is Harry Chambers, DDS, Canvasback’s dental committee chair. His tasks will include teaching the Pohnpei dental staff diagnostic procedures, basic crown techniques, lab procedures and fabrication techniques, and how to interpret those terrific x-rays coming from the new x-ray lab.
Biomedical
technician Tom Lengyel was As for equipment Canvasback is now putting together a container filled with dental equipment and supplies in preparation for the August mission. Equipment to be sent include an air compressor, an x-ray machine and developer, a back-up vacuum pump, a model trimmer for the lab and an ultrasonic cleaner for the sterilization room. The container is scheduled for shipment in April. What’s Next? Dr. Wieg is already dreaming about the possibilities for the future of dentistry in the FSM. "The next phase of education will be to teach single gold crown restorations," he says. "Most of the staff don't have that skill current in their bag of tricks. There is a great need to raise the bar so they can avoid losing so many teeth to fracture." "We will also intervene at key age groups to stop the loss of first and second permanent molars," he says. "When these teeth are lost the bite begins to collapse, which starts a downward spiral to ultimate total tooth loss. So a much larger goal for the long term health of the children will be to implement a regular fluoride program in the school system."
ENT Team Heals It was an experience never to be forgotten. After months of planning, preparation and prayer finally came the thrilling day when a team of nine physicians, nurses and assistants stepped off the plane and into the steamy island world known as Chuuk State. They were full of anticipation and keenly aware that they had much to accomplish in the two short weeks of their mission. They were also keenly aware that what they did would change people’s lives forever.
Team members (left-right):
Natalie Journot, RN; Claudia Flaiz, RN; The team quickly went to work setting up the clinic and operating rooms at the Chuuk Hospital. Soon all were humming along, and the local health services personnel were soaking up the training they were receiving in anesthesia techniques, surgery, and audiology testing. The team’s two surgeons, Drs. Richard Flaiz and Terry Wigley, operated on as many patients as the days would allow. Skillfully they removed cancers of the head and neck, ailing thyroids and huge goiters. This was the first big mission trip that Dr. Wigley had been on since his college days. His impressions were similar to all Canvasback missionaries who serve in the islands for the first time: "I was amazed by the degree of problems we found and the [hospital’s] lack of medicines to treat them," he said. "It’s almost overwhelming how many problems they have with their ears."
Canvasback surgeon Terry Wigley
worked Indeed the ENT problems in Chuuk are enormous. It was very common to see cases of otitis media (infection of the middle ear) that had gone untreated for years. The doctors found that placing tubes in the ears–normally a simple procedure—was a challenge because the middle ears were so greatly deteriorated. Special Patients But beyond the obvious needs in Chuuk, Dr. Wigley was touched by something else: the depth of gratitude shown by the patients themselves. For example, recalling 17-year-old Crystalline—whose thyroid he removed on his first day in the O.R.—he says, "She was so grateful that when we left she met us at the airport with gifts," he says.
Young
Crystalline was grateful for Crystalline was only one of many patients who touched the hearts of the team. A 27-year-old man named Lofes had lived his entire life in silence; he was unable to hear a thing. When he came to the clinic team audiologist Ric Jones tested his hearing and found that he had some residual hearing in one ear. "I felt this was one person whom we could not only help, but change his life from here forward," he says. Dr. Jones immediately pulled out a wad of silicone that looked like bubble gum and started fashioning a silicone mold into a hearing aid. When the hearing aid was inserted into Lofes’ ear, his face lit up with joy and amazement. For the first time in his life he could hear!
Lofes’ face lit up when he heard for the very first time in his life. Then there was little Ashley, who had been born with a cleft pallet. Born in Guam, she’d had one surgery before her mom brought her back to Chuuk. Her mom had since died and Ashley is now being cared for by relatives, who brought her to the clinic for a hearing test. "She looked at you so intently that it would melt you in a heartbeat," says Dr. Jones, who tested her hearing and found fluid behind her ear drums. He was able to remove the fluid out from behind her eardrums so she could hear better. But Ashley needs more surgery and treatment for her cleft pallet if she is to have a normal life.
Little Ashley will need more treatment So Canvasback is taking up her cause. Cofounder Jacque Spence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
