Crippled Man

This week Gail and I went to two more villages for dental clinics. My first patient on Tuesday was the man pictured above. He was a typical older patient living in a remote rural setting. He wanted me to remove three very loose teeth in his mandible. I numbed him up and after a few minutes removed the teeth and had him bite on cotton. He sat there for several hours biting on the cotton and then came and asked a question of us. He said’ “When will you remove my teeth?” He did not know we had removed them and wanted to get started!
We noticed that He was crippled and walked with a crutch and great difficulty. My translator Pisey asked him how far he lived from the clinic. He said 5 Kilometers! That would take him at least 3 or 4 hours to walk in his condition! He was grateful and did not seem to mind the walk. His example makes me want to be more appreciative for small things I take for granted everyday.