North Texas Dentistry Volume 7 Issue 4 NTD 2017 ISSUE 4 CONV DE | Page 8

cover feature
Isla lending a helping
hand to her “Dada” in the
village dental clinic.
Embracing Passions and the Seasons of Life
Sloan W. Hildebrand, DDS, MS
by Tina Cauller
“While extracting a tooth on a patient under a big shade tree in Nicaragua, my eye caught two-year-old Isla ex-
citedly chasing a family of chickens across another family’s front yard. Her favorite storybook characters had
come to life in front of her young eyes. That same day she witnessed Curious George swinging above her in the
jungle canopy. The look on her face when seeing a wild monkey for the first time was one of awe, wonder, and
amazement. Simply priceless as she pointed and shrieked, ‘George!’ with pure joy. Looking on, I was absolutely
certain that we were exactly where we were meant to be.”
F or most people, a remote village in the mountain jungles of
Nicaragua is not at the top of the Fourth of July family vacation
bucket list. For