Thirty-six year old Dr. Carolina Wong has been working with MEDLIFE as a dentist in Lima for almost two years. She was first motivated to pursue medicine because of her desire and drive to connect with patients and help people with their problems. With her passion for serving others, Dr. Carolina was a natural fit for the MEDLIFE team.
We sat down with Dr. Carolina to learn more about her story.
Dr. Carolina Wong is one of several dentists who work regularly with MEDLIFE in Lima.
What inspired you to work in MEDLIFE’s Mobile Clinics?
I really like working with MEDLIFE because I get to have direct contact with the people volunteering, trying to resolve the patients’ questions and ailments.
Where do you work when you are not on a Mobile Clinic?
I work in a dental practice. I also work in schools with small children as a part of the Qali Warma project, in which I attend to children 11 years old and younger.
How would you describe Lima?
Beautiful, with a lot of people. The people are very good, friendly, caring, and kind.
Here, Dr. Carolina works to fill a cavity on a Mobile Clinic patient.
What experience has impacted you the most since working on Mobile Clinics? Is there a particular case or patient?
Yes, with this work, a lot of the cases have a huge impact on us. There are so many families and places here in Lima… There’s no way to know all of the communities. There are far away communities that we don’t even know exist, where there are people with diverse problems. They always try to get ahead with what little they have, but it’s always with a smile. I remember I once met a mother who had four small children and her only work was selling vegetables. So through selling vegetables, she was able to earn enough money to send her kids to public school. All that being said she still always had her children well cared for and protected. I’ll always remember the care and protection that mother showed her children.
What do you enjoy the most about Mobile Clinics?
I enjoy being able to help people. I enjoy when the students come. I love getting to know them, being able to interact with them, and being able to respond to their expectations and answer their questions… I like that we are able to all be one family.
What would you tell future volunteers who come on a Mobile Clinic?
I would tell them that they are going to have a really great experience with the patients here in Peru, the adults as much as the kids. They are going to learn a lot with us at every station: dental, OBGYN, general medicine, pharmacy…and they’re going to experience that Lima heat!
Dr. Carolina Wong is an invaluable member of the MEDLIFE team. She always works very closely with volunteers to ensure they get the most of their Mobile Clinic experience.