USD Magazine, Winter 2000

DOCTOR MOM Award Winner Keeps Kids Smiling

she organized trips for American surgeons and worked through cusroms ro get supplies sent. She then set out ro raise money, attack– ing rhar with the same no-nonsense attitude. Dialing up mega-millionaire George Soros, she talked her way inro the tycoon's inner sanctum. "He gave us $51,000 for our first year, which was great, because our entire budget was $57,000," Basso Eaton says. The charity has continued to grow, open– ing a pediatric intensive care unit and an adult cardiac care ward. Basso Eaton makes biannual treks to Tbilisi, organizing rhe training trips for American surgeons, han– dling delicate negotiations with Georgian officials and curring through red tape to make sure medical supplies are delivered. Yer her passion is the people of rhe Caucus region. She says she is stunned when, despite their poverty, the Georgian people welcome American visitors into their tiny homes and offer them gifts of hard-to-find chocolate. She has developed a special relationship with Lasha, an 11-year-old boy who underwent two heart surgeries at the clinic and lives with his two siblings and parents in a one– room apartment without electricity. She and husband Jeff spent their own money to fly a Georgian gi rl to the United Stares for dou– ble-valve surgery because rhe procedure was roo complex for rhe Georgian docrors at the time. While Lasha's repaired heart will cake him into adulthood, there are still 900 children on the waiting list for surgery and only enough funds to pay for 120 operations a year. "I had one friend rel! me, 'Cindy, you can't save everybody,' " Basso Eaton says of her dedication to Global Healing. "That's all I needed to hear."

BY MICHAEL R. HASKINS

Mary O'Connor '83 says keeping her young patients laughing takes the fear out of a trip to the dentist's office. Enjoying her time in the dentist's chair is Lauren DiCenzo, 6, as brother Gabriel, 4, lends a hand. developmentally challenged adults. "Sometimes it's the parents who are hard to deal with, because they get so nervous." O'Connor has a way with adults, too. When she received the Mother Rosalie Hill Award at Homecoming last November - the honor is given annually to recognize commitment of service to USD - O'Connor was feted in large part for her longtime work with the alumni association, which she served as president and key architect of the association's long-range plan. As in her dental practice, O'Connor made the process as painless as possible. "Mary dedicated so much of her rime and engaged orhers in the year-long effort that yielded a clear set of goals for the alumni association," says alumni relations director John Trifiletti. "Her greatest gift is that she inspires so many others to volun– teer and give of themselves." Ir helps, too, that O'Connor has seem– ingly endless patience. She has no problem spending a half-hour on the phone with a concerned parent, explaining treatment options and procedures. Ir's also not uncommon for USD biology students interested in dentistry to drop by and spend the day observing her work. "I like raking care of people from USD, because I felt very taken care of when I went to school there," O 'Connor says. "Even now, as the university gets bigger, I feel very comfortable and welcome there."

Mary

(Kovac) O'Connor's kids just love going to rhe dentist. In fact, they go every day. OK, it helps that the dentist is their mom, and the daily trips to che office are made with their dad, John, so the family can lunch together. But still, the 3-year-old twins, Matthew and Patrick, and their 1-year-old sister, Emily, never complain when mom fixes their teeth. "They like the attention," says O'Connor, who graduated from USD in 1983, attend– ed dental school at Loyola University and spent two additional years earning a pedi– atric dentistry credential. "When they come in and they're mom's patient, chat appeals to them." O 'Connor appeals to lots of kids, and vice-versa. Among the family pictures and USD memorabilia in her office is a framed drawing presented by a young patient. The picture of a little girl holding hands with O'Connor is captioned, "Thank you for fixing my tooth. Ir hasn't hurt since you fixed it. You're the best dentist in the whole world." Praise like that isn't easy to come by, but O 'Connor's quick laugh and com– fortable manner with children make her office a kid-friendly place. "Ir's funny, because the kids aren't usually very afraid, and as long as you keep them distracted and laughing they don't feel what you're doing," says O 'Connor, who treats kids from birth to lace teens, as well as

If you would like more information on Global Healing, call (925) 327-7889 or visit www.globalhealing.org.

Cindy Basso Eaton's next challenge: transform this space into a modern bloodbank.

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WI NTE R 2000