Podologists from all across Canada and the United States came together last month to not only complete a bachelor’s program with the North Americian School of Podology, but to also utilize their skills and experiences to help those in need. The Caribbean island of St.Kitts has a population of about 40,000 people and an ever increasing diabetes problem. It was the perfect location for setting up a program to help the local residents treat their various foot ailments.

Katherine Von Gavel, founder of North American School of Podology and Footlogix created a program for graduates of the NASP program to go beyond their comfort zone and help those in need of foot care. The NASP program was carefully designed to assist and mentor the students with a team that consisted of a doctor from Germany, a passionate Pedorothist, experienced team leaders, as well as Katherine the NASP founder.

Our first day in St.Kitts, was full of excitement and anticipation to get started. We were debriefed with what was expected and protocols we had to follow during the servicing of each patient. This is NASP’s fifth year in St.Kitts, and their efforts have gained much respect from the local government and medical practitioners on the island. The local television network and radio stations were present at the event and helped spread the word to the community. The school rented a hall in the city, and eager patients lined up out the door each day for four straight days.

Many of the locals in St. Kitts love walking barefoot or with minimal foot wear wherever they go. With this lifestyle and problems with diabetes, many people suffer from various problems that may be detrimental to their health. Part of our mission on the island was to bring awareness to people and educate them with preventative measures that could save them from amputation (which was becoming very common there), blindness, and possibly death.

Our experiences with the locals were filled with so much empathy and warmth. Many of us cried, laughed and most of all we were filled with a sense of reward and satisfaction for being able to help so many people. At the end of the fourth day, our group of 35 Podologists was able to help 874 Kittitians with their feet.

The locals were very kind and grateful for the work we did. We received recognition from the St. Kitts Rotary Club and local doctors as our group had helped achieve part of their goals in minimizing amputations from diabetes.

Coming back to Vancouver, I felt like I left my heart there, and I needed to do more with the knowledge and experiences I have gained. We are so fortunate to live in a country, with great opportunities and easy access to medical care.

Thank you to everyone involved in the NASP program and especially to the people of St Kitts for allowing us to share in the beauty of such an amazing place.

Winnie.