At just about the time most of us are ready for a break from Mother Nature’s wintry grip, a small contingent of Canmorites will be winging their way south to the warmer climes of Guatemala.
Lloyd Evans, Arleah Bloxam and Kandis Kryzanowski, leave for the Central American country on March 22, but not for the purpose of catching a few warming rays.
Rather, the trio will be making a difference in the lives of rural Guatemalans by providing dental expertise for villagers who sometimes walk through the night to line up for their services.
Evans is a dentist who shares Canmore’s Downtown Dental practice with Jonathan Bagley (205, 703 Main Street), while Bloxam is a dental hygienist and Kryzanowski a dental assistant. Evans will be making his sixth trip south, Bloxam her fifth and Kryzanowski her first.
Last year, said Evans, 86 people were in line the day they arrived.
To say the dental work is necessary is an understatement. In the area the three will travel to, many people have never seen a dentist and live with the pain of various dental inflictions 24/7. Extractions, fillings and cleanings are conducted on patients ranging in age from toddlers to seniors.
As part of Canmore’s Hearts and Hands Foundation, the dental assistance is offered in relatively primitive conditions with minimal equipment. The clinic, if you will, consists of a couple of chairs in a home, and all of the equipment fits in a couple of large gear bags and bins.
For the most part, the dental team pays its own way (about $2,000 per person), but they are able to fundraise by selling stoves through a Hearts and Hands initiative. The stoves are constructed locally, which boosts the economy in the area, and replace open wood-burning fires in homes.
The stoves are fuel-efficient and properly vented, which reduces inhalation of hydrocarbons in the homes. Stoves are constructed on-site by Hearts and Hands volunteers.
The stoves cost $120 and can be paid for at Evans’ dental office. All funds are then used for dental services. Any denomination of funds can be dropped off, by cash or cheque, to help the dental team.
Like the dental services, the stoves make a real difference, say Evans and Bloxam. At times, the villages they visit appear to be on fire as smoke makes its way out of homes through windows, doors and roof structures.
As far as dentistry goes during the 10 days the team is in Guatemala, “we often see adults who have never seen a dentist in their life,” said Evans. “The first year I was there, I noticed a lot of the people praying. When I asked our interpreter what they were praying for, he said ‘for your hands to work faster’.”
The hardest part, said Bloxam, is seeing the lineup. Those needing dental services are given a number, and must then wait their turn.
“This year,” said Bloxam, “my heartstrings were really tugged when a husband and wife in their 70s visited us. The husband was so grateful when we were able to treat him early on the third day of our visit because he had missed two days of work while waiting in line.
“His wife came in barefoot, she’d never had shoes, and her feet were so scarred and calloused from years of hard work and walking without shoes.”
The couple suffered in having several abscessed teeth – “the pain would have been excruciating,” said Bloxam.
“I found it hard to visualize a life at 71 years old, working six days a week for $4 a day, while in constant pain. But they came in smiling, they were generous with their hugs and made sure to thank God for their good fortune.
“People sometimes walk for hours to get to us, and they’ve not even sure they’ll be seen.”
The dental work, said Evans, is mostly extractions. As well, toothbrushes and toothpaste, donated by manufacturers, are handed out.
“We spend time on education as well,” said Bloxam, “to prevent the need for us later. At first we took some floss, but they used it for sewing and other things, that’s how we learned how basic things were.”
The team stays in a hotel in Uspantan, then works in outlying areas, transported in the back of pickup trucks or ambulances. In 2011, the team did 300 extractions, 100 fillings and 30 cleanings for more than 150 people. The average is four procedures per person.
At one point, said Bloxam, the light they were using broke. “One said he was an electrician and he’d fix it for us if we bumped him up (in line). He fixed it, but the light caught fire while we were working on his teeth.”
Often, work is done while using climber’s headlamps for illumination.
“The people are so grateful for everything we do for them,” said Bloxam. “Their generosity blows me away. They carpet the ground with pine needles, then dance on them and the smell is in the air. They’ll give you a cola or offer some of their bit of food.
“Even if we don’t raise enough funds to pay for the trip, I’m going back. Every year I say ‘this is my last year’, but then I find I can’t stay away.”
A side benefit of the stove purchases is that children can then spend less time gathering wood for home cooking fires. Using the stoves quickly saves about a cord of wood because they burn efficiently.
“If we could get donations for about 30 stoves, it’d really help out,” said Evans.
For more on the Hearts and Hands Foundation, the projects supported, or to donate, visit heartshands.ca
