RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE EXPEDITIONS
Based on our experience, we have suggested supplies and recommendations for future expeditions. More medical specialists are especially needed. We need gynecologists, ophthalmologists, optometrists, pediatricians, dermatologists, oncologists, psychology support for people with AIDS, cardiologists, and all dental specialties. We need a portable machine for eye tests, gynecologic ultrasound machine, and an electrocardiograph. We look forward to another successful expedition in November 2004!!

EXPEDITION 2003 NARRATIVE
The expedition actually ended up being three different expeditions to the three different islands. Each of three groups stuck together for the whole time. Two groups switched islands mid-way through on November 26 on an Ecuadorian Navy boat with the group first in Santa Cruz going to San Cristobal and the San Cristobal group switching to Santa Cruz. The Isabela group remained there through the duration (which they greatly enjoyed – it’s a wonderful, tranquilo place). A narrative of the expedition would be quite disjointed (Meanwhile, back on Isabela…. Meanwhile, back on Santa Cruz…. Meanwhile, back on San Cristobal…. Meanwhile, back in Quito…. [because don’t forget that in Quito we had a continuous stream of arrivals and departures who were valiantly escorted by Maria Zambrano, the wife of our Quito director, Dr. Washington Zambrano].) However, we will do the best we can to describe this wonderful life-altering experience.

Our very first arrivals into Quito on November 20 were our two Nicaraguan participants, Doctor Karla Altamirano (physician) and Doctor Ninoska Jimenez (dentist). We’re extremely grateful for their contribution. (They both proved to be very proficient dancers and cool ladies, as well.) The newly-expanded CAF dormitory in Quito was quickly filled to capacity November 20 with the arrival that evening of 16 additional volunteers from the U.S.A. including Doctor Kevin Stock and his team from Burley, Idaho, Doctor Robert Jenson and his wife Corene and his hygienist Linette Nelson, Doctor Geoff Berg and his sister Emily, a nurse. Most of this crowd including most of our team from Quito flew the next day November 21 to Santa Cruz Island. There we got situated in hotels and Dr. Stock and his team saw patients while all the others’ dental units were being set up in the municipal building while 12 wheelchairs and medical equipment for the Red Cross were donated.

On November 21 back in Quito was an airport pick-up of epic proportions with the bulk of our American participants arriving. No less than 77 people arrived, sadly with many bags delayed by the airlines. (We’re not happy with them.) Our LDS Welfare missionaries Orson and Lizanne Huntsman were in charge of 9 of the arrivals, Dr. Kevin Chappell of Richfield, Utah and his family and office staff, and the rest stayed at the LDS Church Institute building. The original plan had been for 49 to be at the Institute building and the rest at the CAF dormitory and space graciously offered by the Zambrano extended family, but due to an unfortunately-timed water outage in central Quito, the Institute was it. Thanks to everyone involved and affected for their flexibility in a pinch!!

The next (very early) morning on November 22, while 85 people were getting to the airport in Quito, Dr. Stock and his team saw more patients on Santa Cruz, then they and Gordon Carter and Rachel Carter (not Gordon’s daughter – a different Rachel Carter) met up with the rest of the Isabela group arriving from Quito while all the other Santa Cruz dentists did dental service. The Isabela group boarded a vessel kindly offered by the Ecuadorian Navy. It was an unforgettable trip, to say the least. Many of the voyagers discovered they weren’t cut out for the high seas.

The daily schedule went pretty much like this on the islands: Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. with service beginning at 7:30 a.m. Lunch break at 11:30 a.m. with service continuing until 4:00 p.m. Free time at 4:00 p.m. to see sights, snorkel, swim at the beach, see sea lions and iguanas and tortoises, etc. We saw really cool stuff, like sharks, and some saw penguins and blue-footed boobies! Dinner around 7:30. At least one island group took great advantage of the karaoke club one evening. (And Dr. Ramirez will never forget the birthday he spent with us in the islands….mucho bailando!!) Each island group enjoyed a lobster dinner on Thanksgiving Day.

Each island had multiple dentists and at least one doctor and at least one coordinator.

On Santa Cruz (beginning of the week, before the switch), Washington Zambrano was coordinator with dentists Robert Jenson, Blair Hale, Ninoska Jimenez, Washington Zambrano and Cristina Paredes (pediatrics); oral surgeon Mont Ringer; implantologist Fernando Zurita; plastic surgeons Ivan Ramirez and Ben Rodriquez; orthodontist Monica Zambrano; nurse Gina Arevalo; physician Karla Altamirano; dental hygienists Corene Jenson and Linette Nelson. Big, Bad Hugo Cere coordinated the construction service and kept everyone in stitches. We worked on the Red Cross building and worked on the jail in Puerto Ayora laying tile. In the education department for Puerto Ayora, we donated construction material for building a new office. In San Cristobal, we donated construction material for finishing a room in the high school Alejandro Humboldt. Fifteen BYU pre-dental students were with us along with other wonderful volunteers. This was the most international island group. Ten of us were Ecuadorian, one British, 2 Nicaraguan, one Canadian and 31 from the U.S.A.

On San Cristobal (beginning of the week, before the switch), Peter and Brook Elton were coordinators with dentists Bill Elton, Joseph Lyman, Scott Lyman, Michael Wanlass and Steve Sorenson; oral surgeon Geoff Berg; orthopedist specializing in spines Clyde Carpenter; nurse Emily Berg; dental hygienist Joann Sorenson. Twenty BYU pre-dental club students were with us, and of course the rest of the great volunteers. All 41 of us were American.

On Isabela, Gordon Carter (until November 24), Rachel Carter (distant cousins), Orson and Lizanne Huntsman were coordinators with dentists Kevin Stock, Kevin Chappel and Daniel Barrett; oral surgeon Daniel Orr; dental hygienist Pearl Thorndal-Stewart; dental assistant Toni Beeler. The Ecuadorian Navy gave permission to have one of their physicians, Miguel Calvache, accompany us to see patients with our group. The gracious Liz Jackson coordinated our construction project (we about doubled the size of one family’s tiny home). Fifteen BYU pre-dental students were with us and the rest of the great volunteers and dentists’ staffs. 35 of us were from the U.S.A. with Dr. Calvache from Ecuador. (We were also accompanied by Dr. Calvache’s lovely mother, Ruth, who sang beautifully of the wonderful sea during the boat trip over while many on the boat probably were thinking quite something else about the sea.)

The end of the week came with much sadness. The island groups became very like families and we will never forget the new friendships, the wonderful service and all the many faces we saw and, hopefully, helped.

THANKS!!!
Thanks and good thoughts go to everyone who participated and volunteered their valuable time, money and energy for this cause!! This would not have been possible without all you wonderful volunteers, particularly all the great dentists, oral surgeons, plastic surgeons, physicians, nurses, dental hygienists and assistants! Special thanks go to Washington Zambrano, who spent countless hours on the phone and in airline offices to find us a good fare to the islands, created relationships with our local coordinators, negotiated with island officials trying to get a special entrance status for us (we didn’t have to pay the $100 park entrance fee); Gordon Carter who brought us all together and is our great reminder to “Be good and do good;” Maria Zambrano and the Zambrano extended family who helped with airport transportation and housing volunteers; Peter and Brook Elton and Rachel Carter who interned at CAF Quito before the expedition helping to get ready and coordinated during the trip; Patricia Bonilla, Jaime Guerra, Orson and Lizanne Huntsman, Liz Jackson and Hugo Cere for their coordination on the islands; the Huntsmans for arranging the wheelchair and construction donations; our local coordinators on the islands Ivan Naula, Pedro Pilamunga, Major Alfredo Ortiz Cobos, Sandra and Andre Degel, Felipe Degel and Gulnara Palacios for their time and attention and collaboration (Gulnara in particular spent hours on the phone trying to get our delayed bags sent to faraway Isabela); Oswaldo Zambrano for arranging the Ecuadorian Navy boat for us; the Ecuadorian Navy for providing the vessel that transported all the groups between islands and for providing lodging on their bases on all three islands and for allowing Dr. Calvache to help us; Dr. Miguel Calvache of the Ecuadorian Navy for agreeing to see patients on Isabela; Capitan Julio Veintimilla of the Navy boat 5 de Agosto for safely transporting us; Dr. Bill Elton for coordinating the dental supply donations; TAME airlines for granting our reduced fare to the islands; Galapagos Provincial Governor Alexandra Cedeño for arranging our exemption from the park fee; Brian Tidwell and Mike Thomas for managing our big group of BYU pre-dental students; Sam the travel guy; Hotel Fiesta, Hotel Las Ninfas, Senior Center Hogar San Francisco, Hotel Gil, Hotel Marita, INGALA, Hotel Emma, Hotel Tero, Hotel Carlota and Hotel Loja for providing free accomodations; members of the LDS church in Quito who assisted with our big airport nights; the LDS Institute in Quito for allowing us to use the facilities; Celso Garcia on Isabela for showing us the sharks and for being the old man and the sea.

Thanks to you all!

-The Quito Crew
 

Galapagos Islands Expedition Nov. 21 - Dec. 1, 2003

First Report from the Galapagos Island Project!!!

I am finally able to write again. Isabela has only two internet cafes and both were closed on Sunday. What an adventure!!!!!!

I was at Port Ayora for 2 days and then flew out of Balta for Isabela. WE got settled into 5 hotels for free. Two were pretty bad so we moved our people and paid for 10. WE had church services Sunday morning, testimony meeting. These are such good people. All the doctors got up and spoke. They are all so willing to roll with the punches. Continental left 53 bags in Houston. Clothes and dental equipment. So we are really stretching every thing. WE went up into the highlands on Isabela and found a new dental chair in a run down health room. What a blessing. They plan to send the dentist from Burley up there to work for 3 days. WE came back down to the cafe and had dinner with a birthday party for one of the volunteers. Not a bad Sunday if I must say so myself.

I flew out of IsaBELA this morning and went to Baltra again and then on to San Cristobal. I just saw Joe and Scot and both were working. Seemed to enjoy the challenge. They had dental students around them watching every move they made. They seen every thing as far as teeth are concerned. Both were up beat about it all.

WE have a plastic surgeon and other doctors that are doing wonderful stuff. These islands will never be the same.

I gave away 10 wheelchairs on Port Ayora. Mayor and presidnet of Tame Airlines were there. They had me speak. I was one important hombre. It was very touching when we had a 103 old man waddle over to the chair and sit down. I pushed him down the aisle and he had the biggest grin. That is real live charity. Washington had made all the arrangements and it was quite a spectacle. I can{t wait to see the video. Never thought I would be giving away such meaningful things to brighten some ones life. Two of the receivers were 93. Couldn{t walk any more.

WE are working hard. The BYU students are loving it. I do think we are working out a great system. We brought 600 glasses and setup a eye exam. They are giving away the glasses once some one gets a good pair. They are lined up for those as much as the dental. Next year we bring eye doctors. Many are leaving with sight restored.

That is enough for now. I think they have a lobster dinnner waiting for me. I told IsaBELa to have a thanksgiving dinner up in the highlands at a beautiful park. I told them to have it cattered. Of course there are not turkeys so I suggested eitther flamingo or pelican. What a memorable thanksgiving.

Love you all. Be good and do good.