Reaching Out To Those in Need

The AACS Newsline - Fall 2004

With full patient loads, high demand for cosmetic surgery, an academic teaching position and young children, it would be easy to become caught up in your own life and forget about others. But Eve Bluestein, MD, DDS, manages to balance all of this and still make time to reach out to others on local, national and international levels.

Dr. Bluestein’s international involvement stemmed from a standard patient visit, which turned out to be anything but standard. Dean Bragonier and Sally Taylor (daughter of James Taylor) had returned from a trip to Southeast Asia where they were stunned by the destruction of people, animals andlifestyle caused by landmines left in the ground for decades. The couple had decided to start The Tranquility Project – www.tranquilityproject.org –a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of theseatrocities, rehabilitating their innocent victims and preventing further destruction by the removal of landmines and ban on future use

In Cambodia, landmines maim or kill approximately 1 out of every 143 people. Death, amputation and disease are far too common in parts of Southeast Asia, where 4-6 million landmines remain in the ground, awaiting the slightest provocation from the most innocent of victims – a farmer tending his crops, a child playing, a passerby taking the wrong step. In addition to the damage caused by exploding landmines, many healthcare systems in this region are ill-equipped to handle demands of their constituents and victims are often unable to pay for needed services, prosthetics and proper care. The result is devastating.

Dr. Bluestein found her opportunity to add to the organization by servingas its Medical Director and adding in a physical and psychological rehabilitation program. While her initial intentions were to bring patients to the U.S. to operate on, she quickly realized there were deeper issues to resolve. “Their needs are greater than just surgical; there are social aspects to consider as well,” she says. Not only would patients be unable to receive necessary follow-up care once they returned, but divisiveness would occur with special treatment for only a few. And how would it be possible to choose from among the thousands injured each year?

As a result, Dr. Bluestein adjusted her goals to include the development of a functioninghealthcare system with people properly trained to provide care. Eventually, this would be a self-sufficient operation to serve Cambodians over the long-term. She has amassed a number of physician volunteers – with specialized experience in everything from trauma to amputees and prosthetics –who will join her on a trip to Cambodia in the next five years.

Since it was started in 2002, The TranquilityProject has held two major fundraisersenlisting the support of professionalathletes, entertainers and celebrities.Funds are distributed to grassroots organizations in Southeast Asia –such as Handicap International and Thai Elephant Sanctuary – that provide prosthetic limbs, remove landmines and rehabilitate victims.

Just how does Dr. Bluestein do it? “I have a very supportive husband and I am lucky to be in the position to offer my ideas and my help for those less fortunate than me,” she says.