"Community service has always been an integral part of who I am. At 21 years old, I felt it was a perfect time to combine my love of service and medicine and raise them to a level I had never done before. I had the opportunity through QU to take part in a mission trip that annually travels to the Dominican Republic to help the people in the small Dominican/Haitian sugarcane villages known as Bateys. Every day, a group of 17 students and medical professionals traveled to different sugarcane villages and hosted a traveling medical clinic. I don’t think there is a word or even a group of words that could accurately describe my experience!

In the medical clinic, the people of the different Bateys were able to come through and receive medical treatment for whatever was ailing them. We also provided them with what they knew as 'bug juice,' an anti-parasitic medicine; an outfit to wear; and some food for their family. I saw so many things I could never have even begun to imagine. One of the first days I was there, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to a 14-year-old boy named Manuel. Manuel suffers from Cerebral Palsy (CP), which causes his joints to become very stiff. Seeing the incredible smile on Manuel’s face as we stretched and worked on his body is something that I will never forget!

On the last day of our traveling medical clinic, the day was winding down and we only had a few patients left. I was finishing up the heights, weights, and blood pressures when I noticed that the two people sitting next to each other waiting to be seen were at the complete opposite stages of life. The baby to my left was three-and-a-half weeks old, while the woman to my right was just about to turn 105 years old. To have one of the youngest people of the village and the oldest woman in the village both sitting next to each other was an amazing and unforgettable sight!

Many people who had been on the mission trip before told me, 'The sacrifice is not coming here. It is going home.' I have been home for close to two months now and I agree with them completely. The things you learn, the people you meet, and the stories you hear are some of the things that make this trip unforgettable. I am so thankful for the experience of a lifetime and I absolutely cannot wait to go back next summer. The people of the Bateys have my heart!"

- Deanna Doheny'11