I have a very close relative who is an oral surgeon (he's the man that gave me back the ability to chew after surgery by performing implant surgery several times)

Not only is he a superb medical practitioner, he is also a selfless human being, having gone once or twice every year for many years to one impoverished nation or another, going out into the bush and small villages and treating people with no access to dental care, all at his own expense.

The trip he plans for spring of 2009 is to Cameroon, West Africa. Two weeks in the villages of NE Cameroon; Desert for the most part, and very poor.

Why am I stoked about this? He's asked me to consider coming along with him to photograph the experience, and since this is also a learning trip (he normally takes along a number of newly minted dentists and hygenists), to also do a couple of talks to varied audiences about oral cancer.

I am enormously excited by this possibility. If everything falls into place, I fully expect this will be truly a life-changing experience for me. In one sense I'm truly afraid of what I'll see...there is also a much bigger part of me that wants to be able to "pay forward" some of the gifts I've been given during my journey with the Beast.

As things progress and develop, I'll keep all of my friends at OCF posted
Wayne