Local woman's dental skills are changing lives around the world
Published on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 by Beckye RandallRead More Communities
Dr. Loree Bolin has dedicated her life to the wellbeing of others. A dentist who grew up in Marysville and enjoyed a thriving practice in Lake Stevens, she trades the comfort of home for several months each year in order to reach out to people in remote and underserved areas of the world.
Recently she shared photos and memories of her work with an appreciative audience at the Ken Baxter Senior/Community Center as part of the center's "Cool People" lecture series.
Bolin displayed intricate woven bowls, hand-crafted jewelry and clothing she has received as gifts from those she helps as a leader with Medical Relief International, an Edmonds non-profit affiliated with Antioch Bible Church of Redmond.
The theme of her presentation was "Give With Your Hands," a credo by which she lives everyday. As Director of International Teams for the medical services organization, Bolin travels to impoverished villages in East Africa, Haiti and the Philippines to provide dental services and help train locals to administer basic care between professional visits.
"My job is to find talented locals to lead teams and provide support for our U.S. doctors, nurses and dentists," Bolin explained. "We sponsor several medical students and pay for their education. The need is just so overwhelming, so we concentrate on individuals who can make a difference."
Those who travel with MRI volunteer their time and pay their own expenses. Experience has taught the group how to pack efficiently so they can "hit the ground running" at their destination.
"We use big gray totes with red crosses on them as our luggage," she said. "Those totes contain all our equipment and supplies, and our personal items go in backpacks."
Collapsible lawn furniture becomes dental chairs; basic equipment, gloves and antiseptic are packed tightly into every square inch of the containers. Dr. Bolin's backpack typically holds three pairs of scrubs, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a few personal items for her 2-month stay.
While in the remote villages, she focuses her efforts on oral surgery and restorative dentistry.
"If a young woman is missing her two front teeth, it really limits her possibilities," the dentist explained. "Having a beautiful smile can translate into a better life for her."
The poverty she and her teams encounter is difficult to imagine. Children's toys are rubber bands; electricity and running water are rare luxuries.
"In one village, I was treated to a cup of coffee," she recalled. "I realized that someone had to walk several miles to a spring, pump water into a bucket and carry it back. Then a fire had to be built, and the coffee beans were crushed and steeped in the water. It was a very generous gift."
She held up a beautiful dress called a Katanga, made of hand-woven and dyed cloth and decorated with an intricate pattern of stitches at the neckline. The dress was made on an old treadle sewing machine by a woman whose family shares living quarters with pigs and whose sanitary facility is a hole in the ground near the back door.
Dr. Bolin and her team try to reciprocate with gifts from their hands at every opportunity. In a village high in the mountains in east Africa, the energetic dentist decided to prepare a birthday celebration, cake and all, for one of the local women. She had planned for the occasion by packing a cake mix and two cans of frosting as part of her precious cargo, but there was no oven in the village.
"Some of the women knew where there was an oven, and they offered to bring it to me," she related. "And sure enough, they delivered what looked like an Easy Bake Oven the next day. But the electricity was spotty, and even after a couple of hours in the oven, the cake wasn't really done."
She finally decided to call it good, frosted the cake, topped it with candles, and served it to the birthday girl, along with her friends and family.
"It was more the consistency of Boston cream pie than cake," she laughed, "and definitely not what Betty Crocker had in mind. But they loved it."
Dr. Bolin and her team relish the moments of laughter, the friendships built, and the knowledge that their skills make a real difference in the lives of people all around the world. Pediatricians, physicians, dentists, and skilled nurses and technicians volunteer to make the journeys with MRI over and over again. The professionals tell their colleagues, and word spreads to others who want to help.
Back here in Snohomish County, Bolin's sister Brook Hogan, a member of the Marysville Parks and Recreation board, is helping to spread the word too. Through programs like the "Cool People" series, Hogan hopes to educate local residents about the power of individual contributions and passionate dedication.
"I've received so many gifts," said Dr. Bolin, "and it's satisfying to know I can give something back. We can all find ways to give-with our hearts, our hands or our pocketbooks."
Recently she shared photos and memories of her work with an appreciative audience at the Ken Baxter Senior/Community Center as part of the center's "Cool People" lecture series.
Bolin displayed intricate woven bowls, hand-crafted jewelry and clothing she has received as gifts from those she helps as a leader with Medical Relief International, an Edmonds non-profit affiliated with Antioch Bible Church of Redmond.
The theme of her presentation was "Give With Your Hands," a credo by which she lives everyday. As Director of International Teams for the medical services organization, Bolin travels to impoverished villages in East Africa, Haiti and the Philippines to provide dental services and help train locals to administer basic care between professional visits.
"My job is to find talented locals to lead teams and provide support for our U.S. doctors, nurses and dentists," Bolin explained. "We sponsor several medical students and pay for their education. The need is just so overwhelming, so we concentrate on individuals who can make a difference."
Those who travel with MRI volunteer their time and pay their own expenses. Experience has taught the group how to pack efficiently so they can "hit the ground running" at their destination.
"We use big gray totes with red crosses on them as our luggage," she said. "Those totes contain all our equipment and supplies, and our personal items go in backpacks."
Collapsible lawn furniture becomes dental chairs; basic equipment, gloves and antiseptic are packed tightly into every square inch of the containers. Dr. Bolin's backpack typically holds three pairs of scrubs, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a few personal items for her 2-month stay.
While in the remote villages, she focuses her efforts on oral surgery and restorative dentistry.
"If a young woman is missing her two front teeth, it really limits her possibilities," the dentist explained. "Having a beautiful smile can translate into a better life for her."
The poverty she and her teams encounter is difficult to imagine. Children's toys are rubber bands; electricity and running water are rare luxuries.
"In one village, I was treated to a cup of coffee," she recalled. "I realized that someone had to walk several miles to a spring, pump water into a bucket and carry it back. Then a fire had to be built, and the coffee beans were crushed and steeped in the water. It was a very generous gift."
She held up a beautiful dress called a Katanga, made of hand-woven and dyed cloth and decorated with an intricate pattern of stitches at the neckline. The dress was made on an old treadle sewing machine by a woman whose family shares living quarters with pigs and whose sanitary facility is a hole in the ground near the back door.
Dr. Bolin and her team try to reciprocate with gifts from their hands at every opportunity. In a village high in the mountains in east Africa, the energetic dentist decided to prepare a birthday celebration, cake and all, for one of the local women. She had planned for the occasion by packing a cake mix and two cans of frosting as part of her precious cargo, but there was no oven in the village.
"Some of the women knew where there was an oven, and they offered to bring it to me," she related. "And sure enough, they delivered what looked like an Easy Bake Oven the next day. But the electricity was spotty, and even after a couple of hours in the oven, the cake wasn't really done."
She finally decided to call it good, frosted the cake, topped it with candles, and served it to the birthday girl, along with her friends and family.
"It was more the consistency of Boston cream pie than cake," she laughed, "and definitely not what Betty Crocker had in mind. But they loved it."
Dr. Bolin and her team relish the moments of laughter, the friendships built, and the knowledge that their skills make a real difference in the lives of people all around the world. Pediatricians, physicians, dentists, and skilled nurses and technicians volunteer to make the journeys with MRI over and over again. The professionals tell their colleagues, and word spreads to others who want to help.
Back here in Snohomish County, Bolin's sister Brook Hogan, a member of the Marysville Parks and Recreation board, is helping to spread the word too. Through programs like the "Cool People" series, Hogan hopes to educate local residents about the power of individual contributions and passionate dedication.
"I've received so many gifts," said Dr. Bolin, "and it's satisfying to know I can give something back. We can all find ways to give-with our hearts, our hands or our pocketbooks."
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