The Super Syringe Filler
That's me! Ever since their last dental clinic in May 2010, Harold Schmidt from Lodi, CA, and his friend Dr. Gary Kanemura have nicknamed me the "Super Syringe Filler." The pair recently drove the 1200 miles to El Paso for the 3rd time, and again set up shop at Iglesia Luterana San Lucas in Anapra, Mexico. I did indeed fill syringes for them, but don't let the title fool you; I also ran the autoclave and filled cups with mouthwash and water for each patient to rinse with when his or her appointment had come to an end.
We showed up at the church on Thursday and were greeted by no electricity! The dental chair (which I learned was donated by a member of Harold and Gary's church) was powered by an extension cord that ran across the street to Panchis's house but they hadn't planned on the 6 other small appliances that needed to be plugged in. We improvised by connecting just one additional extension cord and a couple spread plugs, switching the compressor on and off as needed instead of leaving it running, and relocating the autoclave to Panchis's house. Lucky me, I got to carry all the instruments back and forth across the street! Javier told me that they had called the Commission to come repair the problem two days prior, but they hadn't come yet. My first thought was that the story was a likely cover for not having paid the bill, but lo and behold, the lights were back on by the end of the day!
With one dental clinic behind me, registration was much smoother this time around. I asked the church leaders to make a list of 5 people whom we'd see for sure each day, and to have others on stand-by with the understanding that we'd go one-by-one. It worked like a charm. We saw 12 people on Thursday and 10 on Friday, minus the heartbreak of having to decide which patients to see and which to turn away that I experienced last year.
It was definitely a couple days filled with many laughs; Harold is...well, Harold! I sincerely hope that they're able to come again this fall, and I genuinely wonder who is going to be their SSF when I leave!
There are only so many opportunities for interesting photos at a dental clinic (it didn't help that I forgot my camera on Thursday...this has got to stop!), but here are a few shots:
Harold and I
He didn't realize he was wearing 2 masks until like 10 minutes after Gary and I pointed it out AND I took a picture of him!
Gary, me, and Harold.
Until next time, blessings!
We showed up at the church on Thursday and were greeted by no electricity! The dental chair (which I learned was donated by a member of Harold and Gary's church) was powered by an extension cord that ran across the street to Panchis's house but they hadn't planned on the 6 other small appliances that needed to be plugged in. We improvised by connecting just one additional extension cord and a couple spread plugs, switching the compressor on and off as needed instead of leaving it running, and relocating the autoclave to Panchis's house. Lucky me, I got to carry all the instruments back and forth across the street! Javier told me that they had called the Commission to come repair the problem two days prior, but they hadn't come yet. My first thought was that the story was a likely cover for not having paid the bill, but lo and behold, the lights were back on by the end of the day!
With one dental clinic behind me, registration was much smoother this time around. I asked the church leaders to make a list of 5 people whom we'd see for sure each day, and to have others on stand-by with the understanding that we'd go one-by-one. It worked like a charm. We saw 12 people on Thursday and 10 on Friday, minus the heartbreak of having to decide which patients to see and which to turn away that I experienced last year.
It was definitely a couple days filled with many laughs; Harold is...well, Harold! I sincerely hope that they're able to come again this fall, and I genuinely wonder who is going to be their SSF when I leave!
There are only so many opportunities for interesting photos at a dental clinic (it didn't help that I forgot my camera on Thursday...this has got to stop!), but here are a few shots:
Harold and I
He didn't realize he was wearing 2 masks until like 10 minutes after Gary and I pointed it out AND I took a picture of him!
Gary, me, and Harold.
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