Finding Our Hearts at ChiroMission - 4/10/2009
My name is Danna Markson. I’ve been a chiropractic patient my entire life, so the wonders of chiropractic adjustments are certainly not lost on me. I’ve heard my father’s story about how chiropractic cured his asthma and eczema, hundreds of times. I’ve witnessed many patients in my own chiropractor’s office extol the virtues of their adjustments and promise to bring their friends and family. But, at the other extreme, I’ve often been locked in heated debate with unknowing people who have labeled chiropractors “quacks” and “wackos” and state with amazing certainty that chiropractors are not “real doctors.” I’ve been disappointed, angered and eventually even defeated by some of my closest friends and family who have made random uneducated decisions to stay far away from chiropractic despite their discomfort, pain, or overall lack of health. I marvel at the closed-mindedness, but have often felt powerless to change it.
I consider it fate that one day in early January, my dad casually mentioned that he was asked to be the guest speaker at a mission in Dominican Republic at which chiropractors would be volunteering their time to adjust as many people in that country as possible in 3 days. “I’m coming too,” I replied. “What will you do there?” he asked. “I have no idea,” was my response – and I didn’t. But I knew that I wanted to be part of an organization that was selflessly and tirelessly serving a third world country where the resources that we’ve grown accustomed to, such as clean water and electricity, are scarce and natural health care almost non-existent. A mission to give to the people of DR and ask nothing in return – Give and Receive – the ChiroMission motto.
And so we did – 75 Chiropractors, Chiropractic interns and volunteers, congregating at a lovely resort on the beach, quite a contrast to the villages and towns we would later visit.
Drs. JC Doornick and Todd Herold, co-founders of ChiroMission shared with us their vision of promoting the message of the body’s natural ability to heal itself, with chiropractic as the method, to every inhabitant – 10 million strong – in the country. I was amazed at their passion and the depth of their conviction and impressed by the evolution of their idea from just a mere six years ago.
On day one of our mission, we were split up into teams of three or four and escorted by local volunteers, in their own rugged cars and trucks, off to orphanages, schools, hospitals, clinics and monasteries in local towns and far away villages. We left early in the morning with nothing more than a bottle of water each and a desire to bring our “A game”. We had no cell phones, no credit cards, no makeup or jewelry. Most of us didn’t even speak the language and had to rely on our rudimentary knowledge of Spanish or French, and some really humorous hand motions.
Within minutes of setting up shop with my team – literally three plastic chairs taken from a local church and placed on a street corner – I was blown away. Three local men sat down in the chairs not really knowing what we were there to do, but they were obviously open. After their adjustments they were all smiling widely and chatting away in Spanish. And then they started whistling and calling others over to our “office”. Residents of the local village came out of the woodwork, off their motorcycles as they rode by, or were walking past. Although a few were hesitant, not one person refused an adjustment. My team of four visited many schools and villages that day and the doctors adjusted probably 800-1000 people in a couple of hours. I took pictures, held babies, and just smiled and high-fived. We were on our feet for hours, sweaty, thirsty and tired, but that didn’t seem to matter to any of us, in fact I barely noticed. I felt a distinct shift inside me that day - I was in total awe of the genuine openness and gratitude of the people and the miracle of chiropractic – and was SO grateful for the opportunity to receive so much by giving so little.
We went out into the villages and towns for two more days. I had the good fortune of cradling babies at orphanages, playing with the disabled children of a local group home, and talking to the boys and men of a local criminal detention center. ALL were grateful for their adjustments, and the ones that couldn’t talk simply beamed.
On day three, my dad and I went with our new team of four about an hour’s ride up a bumpy unpaved road to a Haitian refugee village on a hilltop. Food and water were scarce, some children were barely clothed, and the accommodations were rustic, to say the least. But I was amazed, blown away really, at how cheerful the people were – all of them so grateful for our presence and for the chiropractic adjustment that meant the potential for improved health. We traveled down to the river side where children were bathing and women were washing clothes. The doctors adjusted the local men who were tirelessly mixing and pouring concrete in the hopes of making a new basketball court for the village. My thoughts floated back to my home, wondering what my own two children would think of this landscape and dreaming of the day I could share this with them.
Our mission ended that night with a circle on the beach – 75 people standing under the moonlight and reflecting on the previous three days. We all had different experiences, met different people in different locales. We came from the US, Canada and even Australia, with one common goal - to promote the message of Give and Receive – Dar Y Recibe – through the miracle of chiropractic.
I so wish that my acquaintances, friends and family – the naysayers who have rebuffed chiropractic - could have been with me on this trip. If not to experience chiropractic for themselves, then simply for the opportunity to see the miracle of chiropractic in action and the smiles and tremendous gratitude one adjustment could generate.
To JC and Todd, to the 70 or so other missionaries with whom I shared this amazing experience and, most especially, to my father…..I want to say thank you. The opportunity to share myself, my love, and the chiropractic message has enriched my life a thousand-fold.
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