HAITIAN DENTIST

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” Rita Mae Brown


Destiny serendipitously pushed me onto an empty stool for lunch, as I sat down the lady next to me began to chuckle at my expense. It was a hurried sports bar and grill on an unusually steamy hot fall day in San Francisco. She appeared to be a petite Hispanic in her mid-thirties with gold-rimmed glasses with an ADA “Dentist” name tag from The American Dental Association’s annual meeting. “You don’t know what you just did” she giggled. “What” I asked.” “You see that line of people. All those people have been waiting in line to order food and after they get their food they wait and look for a seat. You just walked in, sat down and ordered with out waiting in line.” “I came from the hotel.” I was pointing at the back door. “I didn’t mean to cut in line, but I thought if there was an empty stool available, then there would be nothing wrong with me sitting down. So, I guess I am with you today.” I chuckle.


She had already received her food order and was eating as we curiously continued our conversation. She was from Haiti and I was from Minnesota. She was here for the convention to improve her dental education, see what’s new in dentistry and escape. We mutually shared our ignorance’s of each other geography. We both had misconceptions of each others worlds, cultures, and life styles. I must admit I was a bit arrogant about my United States’ training and my perceived prosperous quality of life. I attempted to get a flavor of her world by asking a ton of questions and she likewise was curios about life in a colder climate. Like most things in life we shared more commonalities than differences. We talked on and on describing and comparing our strange worlds.


She shared that she was afraid to go back home after the convention. There was an epidemic of murders that were occurring in her country. The servants of the wealthy were killing their bosses and absconding with their processions. The current government was unstable and the police were infiltrated with corruption. She said that she has several domestic servants, for example, she does not own a wash machine and clothes dryer at home. If she did have automated appliances at home she would be putting several people out of work. The poverty was so great that they employ people to do all kinds of menial domestic work.


Her family wealth was from a family owned rum distillery. It had recently lost its profitability, but with increase in popularity of rum in the Caribbean region the family was trying to re-invest in the distillery. Her family was able to afford her advanced education. She had lived a privileged life in an uncertain part of the world. Her practice was not that much different than mine. She was in a solo practice in a metropolitan area and she worked 34 hours a week.


I was aware of the extreme poverty, aids epidemic and rampant poor healthcare services so I asked her “What type dental care do you do for the poor?” She abruptly answered “I do not do any dentistry unless I get paid.” As she said this I was stunned; “How callused she seemed to her own people”. The fact that she didn’t seem to care about the poor was not how I was raised. I didn’t have a very good poker face. I must have been looking down my nose at her, she sensed my judgment.

She immediately replied” You do not understand, as a professional woman, I advocate for women rights in Haiti. Women are second class citizens in Haiti. I feel it is a better use of my time and talents in this area. I hope to make a bigger impact in my country as an advocate for women than trying to solve every little dental problem.” I was handed my smugness with her revelation. I had no right to judge her. My values, in my world did not make sense in her world.

Altruism is personal. PATRICK J FOY, DDS