By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
Have you ever seen someone sprint to the dentist’s chair?
That’s just what I observed in Bullet Tree Village in Belize while there with HAFDRA (Humanitarian Aid for Development and Relief Agency) earlier this month.
This year’s HAFDRA team at Hills of Promise primary school. (Contributed photo)
Last year’s medical and dental mission trip was so amazing, I had to repeat the experience this year. The team this year was made up of 29 folks – two dentists, three dental hygienists, one doctor, two nurse practitioners, one nurse and the support personnel.
We arrived in Belize City on Wednesday, April 8. As we exited the airport, the heat immediately hit us. After loading up the three vans with our luggage, medical and dental supplies and people, we made our way to San Ignacio in the western part of the country, close to the Guatemala border. On the way we stopped at the Black Orchid Resort for dinner.
One of the Mayan ruins at the Xunantunich Archaeological Reserve.
After reorganizing all the supplies on Thursday, we visited the Xunantunich Mayan ruins, which are reached by a hand-powered car ferry. For those making the trip for the first time, this was a great way to ease into the Belizean culture.
Nolan Massey assists dental hygienist Shellie Boydston.
Our first clinics were held on Friday. First, we all went to La Loma Luz Hospital, founded by Raymond Mundall M.D., whose daughters Shellie Boydston and Sherri Mundall founded HAFDRA in 2019. After growing up in Belize, the two women have returned annually to conduct dental and medical clinics.
Once again this year, Jeffrey Cho M.D. gave us a tour of the hospital. He was pleased to tell us that all the imaging equipment is now functioning properly. He showed us the lab, the pharmacy and a couple of the patient rooms.
Nina Hidajat and Gunnar Jacobs assist Dr. Hugh Bialecki.
The dental team stayed at the hospital, where they worked nonstop all day. The medical team drove to Bullet Tree Village, where we set up a clinic in the Seventh-Day Adventist church.
Because of the long clinic days and the heat and humidity, we alternated clinic days with fun excursions. On Saturday, we traveled to the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary where we enjoyed a canoe trip on the Sibun River. I was fortunate enough to ride with Philip, one of the guides. He pointed out a wide variety of animals we saw including howler monkeys, a huge boa constrictor and lots of iguanas.
On Sunday we returned to Bullet Tree Village and conducted both medical and dental clinics. A woman who had presented with severely impacted ear wax returned after treating her ear with a solution created by nurse practitioner Kim Hansen; she was successful in removing the wax and improving the woman’s hearing. A man complained of having something in his eye. Dr. Tanu Patel worked carefully to remove the substance.
A woman presented with her two front teeth broken off. “I’m going to make you look like a queen,” Dr. Vijay Patel told her. Working meticulously, he rebuilt her two teeth, prompting her to smile widely as she left his chair.
It was at Bullet Tree where another woman, hearing her name called, ran to Dr. Patel’s chair, anxious to have her dental needs addressed.
Monday saw our team split into two excursion groups. One went cave tubing while the other visited Spanish Lookout, the Mennonite community on Belize. The Mennonites are responsible for the dairy industry in the country; the ice cream we enjoyed at their restaurant was some of the best we’ve ever had.
Abby and Catherine Savich with Miss Thiffany, the principal of Hills of Promise primary school.
Our clinic on Tuesday was at Hills of Promise primary school. Once again this year the children had prepared a program for us. They sang the Belizean national anthem, their school song and a couple of other songs. In addition to seeing dental and medical patients, two members of our team visited the classrooms, giving fluoride treatments to 161 students.
Kathy Horton and Julie Perkins showed the students just how much sugar is in soft drinks.
Abby Savich keeping some of the children entertained.
Our team members had a choice of two excursions on Wednesday: Tikal National Park in Guatemala or the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve. Since I had gone to Tikal last year, I chose the Lamanai trip. To reach these Mayan ruins, we were treated to an hourlong boat ride. While out on the river, we saw a termite nest, a baby blue heron, insect bats, wood storks, iguanas, hawks, ospreys, turtles, cormorants and a crocodile. Our guide, Vladimir (aka Gordo) shared that his grandfather was Mayan. The pride in his heritage shone through as he told us about the ancient people and their buildings.
Our final clinic was in Santa Familia Village at another Seventh-Day Adventist church. This was our busiest day, with patients lined up early and waiting their turns to be seen very patiently.
Heading to our Tropic Air plane, flying to Ambergris Caye.
On Friday, some folks flew back to the U.S. but the majority of us took a 13-minute flight to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, the largest of the 200 islands that are part of Belize. After dropping our luggage at our hotels – across the street from the Caribbean Sea – we drove our rented golf carts to Secret Beach, where we spent the afternoon.
A sea turtle we saw while snorkeling. (Photo by Delaney Massey)
We spent our final day in Belize on a catamaran – the Miss Money Penny. When we reached the barrier reef, we donned fins, masks and snorkels and jumped into the sea. We saw turtles, spotted eagle rays and lots of brightly colored fish. Once back on the boat, we sailed to Shark Alley, where a huge shiver of nurse sharks gathered, knowing they were in for some treats. Several folks jumped in with them, getting the thrill of swimming with sharks. Other folks held up little fish which were quickly snatched up by a variety of gulls. We sailed back to San Pedro with the sun setting behind us.
And then, on Sunday, April 19, it was time to bid farewell to Belize and fly home.
Dr. Vijay Patel and Dr. Hugh Bialecki saw patient after patient at each of the four clinics.
All told, the medical and dental professionals saw 347 patients. The dentists – Dr. Hugh Bialecki and Dr. Vijay Patel – worked tirelessly at all four clinics. The dental hygienists – Shellie Boydston, Denise Sanchez and Sally Thompson – sent folks home with shiny, clean teeth.
Dr. Tanu Patel and nurse practitioners Sherri Mundall and Kim Hansen treated patient after patient with assistance from nurse Sarah Hulse.
Lori Semeniuk takes this patient’s blood pressure.
Supporting the professionals were Lori Semeniuk, Leslie Marks, Catherine Savich, Abby Savich, Nolan Massey, Delaney Massey, Julie Perkins, Kathy Horton, Danette Zuniga, Nina Hidajat, Brandy Jense, Jim Jense, Aspen Jense, Mary Hansen, Keith Hansen, Robert Hansen, Gunnar Jacobs, Madison Hausmann and Steve Boydston.
As for me, this year I helped in the pharmacy we set up. I could not even begin to guess how many ibuprofen, multivitamins or amoxicillin I counted out.
One of the Belizean children drew this picture for our team.
What I do know is that this was once again one of the most amazing weeks of the year for me. The people in Belize who came to our clinics were so appreciative of our being there. They thanked us repeatedly. The ladies of the two churches prepared lunches for us, as did the staff at the school.
For more information on HAFDRA – which also conducts the free dental screenings and dental sealants at the mountain’s three elementary schools – visit their website, www.hafdra.org.
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