Costa Rica Dentist Dr. Mario Takes Time Each Month To Help Those Less Fortunate.
Juan had long dreamed of of leaving Cuba where his family were living in abject poverty on the equivalent of about $15 dollars per month.
Over many years he saved his money, even pennies, to eventually buy a ticket to Ecuador, a friendly nation to Cuba with a plan to make his way to the US.
You may ask why he wanted to go to Ecuador to get to the US?
A little known fact is that if a Cuban refugee tries to enter directly into the U.S. through a port in Florida he will be turned away.
However, and this I had not known, if a Cuban refugee makes his way to the Mexico border and can prove he has been out of Cuba for a year he will be allowed to enter the U.S.
So, leaving his family in Cuba, Juan flew to Ecuador. Ecuador only allows Cuban visitors a 90 day visa and so after a short stay
in Ecuador, Juan and some other Cuban refugees made their way to Colombia on their slow laborious journey to Mexico.
As they made their way through Colombia they found themselves isolated, hungry and vulnerable. One night, sleeping in a local park the group was robbed at gunpoint.
At this point it was every man for himself and after working some menial jobs to scrape together some money Juan made his way to Costa Rica by bus. Here he arrived destitute, hungry and hopeless…
A local independent baptist church in Guachipelin in Escazu (near the MultiPlaza mall) made up of a group international expats have an outreach ministry to try to help the poorer barrios or neighborhoods in San Jose.
On one of their outreaches they found Juan, living in the street. Thinking he might receive some food he was surprised to receive not only food but was given a place to stay.
Now enters Dr. Mario into Juan’s story of survival.
Costa Rica Dentist Dr. Mario Takes Time Each Month To Help Those Less Fortunate.
in Escazu in a neighborhood called La Paco.
My landlord Glenn was an American expat from New Jersey who, along with his wife and children, were very active in a local church with an international congregation.
After a few weeks I approached Glenn and asked if his church might like to partner with Dr. Mario in providing free dental care to some less fortunate people.
The pastor of the church, Dr. Mario and myself met and agreed that they would identify through their ministry outreach a man and a woman each month to receive free dental treatment from Dr. Mario.
Juan had had persistent and painful dental issues. He was the first patient to benefit from the free dental care from Dr. Mario.
Over a period of the last two months Dr. Mario dealt with all of Juan’s dental issues removing damaged teeth and replacing them with three implants, eight extractions, bridges and cosmetic dentures.
As you as you see in the photos of this article Juan made great friends with Dr. Mario’s staff and has now left Costa Rica for Mexico again on his journey with new hope and yes… a perfect smile without a price….Pura vida!
Dr. Mario is a Blue Cross Preferred Dentist in Costa Rica.
For World Class Dentistry at Affordable Prices
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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