Author: Lee Matthis, DC

The vision of Tuck Chiropractic is “to make a significant impact on as many lives as possible.”   I work extremely hard each day to make sure I embody that vision as best I can at home, so when I was recently invited to accompany a group of healthcare professionals on a mission trip abroad, I jumped at the opportunity to take my impact worldwide.

We traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica and boarded a rickety bus to travel into the Blue Mountains to Blessed Assurance, an orphanage for mentally and physically handicapped children run by Mustard Seed Communities (www.mustardseed.com).  Over the course of a week I learned first-hand what “significant impact” truly means.

The majority of the children were stricken by HIV/AIDS, Cerebral Palsy, or on the severe end of the Autism Spectrum.  Most were unable to communicate, each of them desperately needed what I had to offer, chiropractic care.  And so I began, with the help of three of my graduate school professors and friends, to remove nervous interference by way of the adjustment.

Not once while treating the residents did I hear anything about neck pain, headaches, or low back pain, but a day or two of care, I received wonderful feedback from the caregivers that the children were sleeping better, had better appetites, and were overall less irritable and easier to care for.  The caregivers, whom we treated also, mostly asked to have their blood pressure checked (a common problem in the West Indies due to diet and genetics) and claimed that they felt less stress and fatigue after their adjustments.

To treat a patient who has absolutely nothing in this world to offer but a smile and possibly a hug is the greatest feeling in the world.  To experience complete faith of one’s health placed unquestioningly into your, a stranger’s hand, is the most humbling feeling I have had.  This is the impact I was able to make on lives abroad and it was an amazing feeling.

And so I returned home, having done my best to impact the world and succeeded. I also found that I had refueled my desired to continue to increase my impact here in the office and just hope to do so for as many of my neighbors that grant me that honor.