Going Out of Her Way to Make a Difference

The pain Javier* had mentioned earlier to his Hope mom had intensified. He cradled his cheek in his hand and groaned loudly enough for her to notice. “It’s worse, Javier?” she asked with concern. He nodded slowly.

She reached out to fellow staff member, Anna McCambridge, who helps with Back2Back’s medical program. Together, they made calls to dentists who had previously volunteered their time on campus. One dentist happened to have the day off and said she would devote the rest of her day to helping Javier and relieving his pain. 

She quickly arrived on  campus, but the machine she needed to treat Javier wasn’t working. “I don’t want to leave you in pain, Javier,” she told the teen. “Let’s go  to the office where I see patients.” Once at her clinic, she operated on Javier’s tooth, removing the broken molar. From 4 to 11pm, the volunteer worked on and eliminated the pain Javier had been experiencing.

The power of volunteers giving their time, even during irregular hours, made the difference for Javier. He was reminded when his needs are known, they will be met.