Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/635202
However, Dr. Hall is not deterred by the danger of some areas nor the limited resources of others. He continues to travel to Guatemala annually, as well as with Doctors Without Borders a few times a year for several weeks at a time. "Some of the [medica l] skill that we take for granted in this country is so pre- cious and in short supply in many areas of the world," he says. "There are untold opportunities to impact people's lives by providing care in some of these areas, and not just the ones that are in conflict." JAMES AFFUL CLARKE, DO, MBCHB, MPH: RESTORING SIGHT When Dr. Clarke, a Ghanaian physician originally trained as a general surgeon, spent time working in a remote West African hospital, the lack of ophthalmologic services alarmed him. "I encountered many people with eye problems who had no access to eye care due to the unavailability of an eye clinic," Dr. Clarke says. "With the realization that helping to improve the eyesight of the visu- ally impaired could also improve the quality of their lives and that of their families, I enrolled in an ophthalmology program." Today, he runs Crystal Eye Clinic, a private eye care facility in the Accra region of Ghana. He also partners with Unite For Sight, a 501(c)(3) organization based in New Haven, Connecticut, to provide outreach eye care services in five of Ghana's 10 regions. The outreach team provides glasses to children and adults, and Dr. Clarke performs corneal transplants. "A bout 2 , 5 0 0 si g ht-res t or i n g su r- ger ie s a re per for med f ree of ch a r ge a n nua l ly," say s Dr. Cla rke, a dd i n g that he is motivated to g ive back to others through his work. "In whatever position or situation we find ourselves, let us remember that there a re ma ny people who a re less priv i leged tha n us. We should look out for them a nd be prepa red, directly or indirectly, to ma ke a little sacrif ice for them. This little sacrif ice ca n prevent needless suffering. Indeed, it ca n save a life." DANIEL T. BLACK, DO, FAAFP: REBUILDING LIVES Dr. Black channels his philanthropic eƒor ts in a diƒerent direction. In a depa r ture from his work as a fa mily practice physicia n, he pa r ticipates in construction projects during mis- sion trips with his church, Ga rrison Baptist , in Day ton, Tennessee. His travels the past nine years have ta ken him to Romania, as well as to areas of the United States such as A laska and Rogersville, Tennessee. He reca lls a Rogersville widower who was in need of assistance. "A husband with three kids lost his wife," Dr. Black recalls. "His roof was leaking, the f loors were rotting, and his 7-year-old son had fallen through. We took a team to the house and made it safe." He and fellow volunteers provided si m i la r ser v ices to elderly Nat ive Americans in Alaska's Copper River Valley. Lacking money and such basics as electricity, the native people had to endure the bitterly cold winters as best they could. Dr. Black says the help his group provided initially left many of the people ba¸ed — though that changed over time. "Hardly anyone would talk to us," he says. "They had been taken advantage of by people from outside ... but they talked to us more over the years, and we became very good friends." His group worked with the Native Americans to repair their homes and also spent time evangelizing as part of the mission outreach. His faith inspires all the work he does, Dr. Black says. "It's fun to work for someone when I know that God brought us together for a reason," he adds. "I love relationships with people. Being able to help makes medicine and mission work enjoyable. It's an easy blend." ■