Kush Mody takes information from a patient at a clinic in the medical mission in Dajabon, Dominican Republic. The junior at Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison took part in the recent mission. / courtesy of Wardlaw-Hartridge School

Written by
Rudy Brandl | Wardlaw-Hartridge School

EDISON — Kush Mody wants to become a doctor. He is more certain of his professional career path after spending a week last month working at a medical mission in the Dominican Republic. The Wardlaw-Hartridge School junior, an Edison resident, shared a 45-minute presentation with the Upper School student body Wednesday with details and pictures of an experience that he said may have cemented his intention to become a medical professional. He accompanied 50 doctors to Dajabón on a mission sponsored by the Waves of Health program. Mody shared a day-by-day account of his work in the clinics, where he interacted with hundreds of patients as the primary person in charge of triaging. Mody already had experienced more than most 16-year-old aspiring doctors through his work with the Edison First Aid Squad and participation in a summer program at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark. But working under difficult conditions in some of the most impoverished areas of the Dominican Republic gave him a new perspective and strengthened his passion for medicine, he said. “I’ve been wanting to do something philanthropic for a long time,” he said. “I feel it’s really rewarding when you can help people on a daily basis. I wanted to try something a little bit different.” Mody shared the experience with his father, Dr. Suresh Mody, the chairman of the medical imaging department at St. Michael’s Medical Center. Dr. Mody was a late addition to the medical mission group when a radiologist was needed to read a new ultrasound machine that was being used for the first time. This new technology allowed an ultrasound to be transmitted via satellite in 17 seconds from the Dominican Republic to Hackensack University Medical Center. It marked the first time that an ultrasound was transmitted via satellite. However, there was nothing glamorous about working long days with limited electricity and no hot water and attending to hundreds of patients with myriad medical problems, the younger Mody said. He took charge of triaging all of the patients and conversed with them in Spanish. He translated for the doctors and found himself involved with the treatment and care of the patients after taking their blood pressure and other vital signs. He told his peers that he spoke Spanish all day and even started “thinking in Spanish.” “I was the first person to have patient contact,” said Mody, who was pressed into immediate service when the triage chief arrived a day late because of the Oct. 28 snowstorm. “I had to dive right into it. On the first day, we saw over 500 patients. That was a rough day.” Mody did not have the benefit of returning to a four-star hotel at night. It was hot and steamy in the Dominican Republic, and the sporadic electricity left him sweating and freezing at different times during the same sleep-deprived nights. “You don’t know what is good until you see bad,” Dr. Mody said. “I wanted Kush to get exposed to these things. I have worked in clinics like this in India. He was exposed to different types of problems, and this shows me that he is interested in medicine. This is one way you can help people. This is what being a doctor is all about.” “I know I want to be a doctor,” his son said. “As I get new experiences, I keep altering what kind of doctor I want to be. I wanted to be a surgeon, but after his experience I really like emergency medical. Every day is a new story, and you’re going to see a different challenge.” Mody added that he will never forget the people of Dajabon. He saw patients with blood pressure readings over 200 and blood sugar levels higher than 350. Yet, these people didn’t complain. They just needed medical care and still need more help. He said he would like to help raise money for a new ambulance for the region, because it will improve the care these people receive. His spirit and passion for this mission was evident in his presentation Wednesday, and it certainly made an impression on the doctors in the mission. “Right now in the hospital, people talk about him, not me,” Dr. Mody said. “I’m really glad I did it,” his son added. “I saw a lot of crazy things, but it was very rewarding.” “I was the first person to have patient contact,” said Mody, who was pressed into immediate service when the triage chief arrived a day late because of the Oct. 28 snowstorm. “I had to dive right into it. On the first day, we saw over 500 patients. That was a rough day.” Mody did not have the benefit of returning to a four-star hotel at night. It was hot and steamy in the Dominican Republic, and the sporadic electricity left him sweating and freezing at different times during the same sleep-deprived nights. “You don’t know what is good until you see bad,” Dr. Mody said. “I wanted Kush to get exposed to these things. I have worked in clinics like this in India. He was exposed to different types of problems, and this shows me that he is interested in medicine. This is one way you can help people. This is what being a doctor is all about.” “I know I want to be a doctor,” his son said. “As I get new experiences, I keep altering what kind of doctor I want to be. I wanted to be a surgeon, but after his experience I really like emergency medical. Every day is a new story, and you’re going to see a different challenge.” Mody added that he will never forget the people of Dajabon. He saw patients with blood pressure readings over 200 and blood sugar levels higher than 350. Yet, these people didn’t complain. They just needed medical care and still need more help. He said he would like to help raise money for a new ambulance for the region, because it will improve the care these people receive. His spirit and passion for this mission was evident in his presentation Wednesday, and it certainly made an impression on the doctors in the mission. “Right now in the hospital, people talk about him, not me,” Dr. Mody said. “I’m really glad I did it,” his son added. “I saw a lot of crazy things, but it was very rewarding.”

Dr. Jennifer Brown donated several hundred pairs of sandals for the children.  Each child seen in the regional WoH clinic was given a pair of sandals, not surprisingly many of them being their first pair of shoes. Dr. Brown realized that many of the patients she had seen in past clinics were without shoes and proper clothing which played heavily into their overall well-being and health.  By giving sandals to the children, we hope to be able to curb some of the more common skin and gastrointestinal infections seen on our visits.  Given the success and reception of the inexpensive children’s shoes, the Waves team is looking forward to providing sandals for each upcoming mission.
 
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