Tears and gratitude are two words which encapsulate Aurora resident Lisa Bensadoun’s recent trip to St. Kitts.

Ms. Bensadoun recently returned from the tiny Caribbean nation after a brief residency as part of a team on the ground as part of her Bachelor of Science training program from the North American School of Podology.

The 40-strong team, which included students, doctors, nurses and educators, set up a clinic for three and a half days which over- saw the treatment of over 700 residents with extreme foot conditions that might not have otherwise been treated. Particularly prevalent were foot conditions brought on by diabetes.

“A lot of people we saw never had foot care before,” said Ms. Bensadoun. “The majority of people I saw were all diabetic. There were a lot of conditions we recognize now as podologists that we don’t treat and diagnose, but we can recognize and refer. We recognized a lot of serious problems, but we were able to direct them to see a physician.”

In addition to the problems brought on by diabetes, other prevalent issues with the patients they saw in St. Kitts included calluses – which, when cracked, can lead to more serious health concerns – and ingrown toenails. When these ailments, the treatment for which is relatively common in Canada, were addressed and treated, Ms. Bensadoun said there were “a lot of tears, a lot of gratitude, a lot of thank you gifts and cards.”

“Their appreciation was overwhelming,” she said. “Aside from the dramatic cases of foot related problems I was seeing, which I have never seen in all the years I have been working, I couldn’t get over their gratitude.

“When you see the need for foot care and the fact that they don’t have any access to that care, you realize what a necessary service it is and it was something that was so needed and so necessary. I had one woman come in one day and thank me and say it was the first day she can remember walking without pain because I had relieved an ingrown toenail. She had just worked through the pain because it was part of her existence. She didn’t know what it felt like not to have that pain and that was how dramatic I felt our care was for these people.”

Ms. Bensadoun, who has been an Aurora resident for over 20 years, has worked in the aesthetics field for 12 years, operating By Lisa Esthetics. Through her work she said she found a real hole in the pedicure field of addressing things above and beyond the traditional treatment, such as calluses and corns, that can’t be addressed in “a normal spa environment.” Podology, she said, is the middle ground between a pedicurist and a podiatrist.

Her student work at the North American School of Podology afforded her the chance to participate in their Caribbean residency program and while they were there, the Parliament of St. Kitts and Nevis announced their approval of a program which would allow the group to continue their work on the island every six months.

“I am signed up and ready to go,” she said with a laugh on being able to return not just to provide treatment but also providing practical advice on how St. Kitts residents can use readily available materials at hand to put their best foot forward.

“Most people just seemed to walk in flip flops or barefoot and when we pointed out proper supporting shoes and how it could help, and that the pain in their hips and legs was coming from improper footwear I think that had a huge impact on people,” she said.

“We gave recommendations as simple as even get- ting pieces of foam and showing them how to cut out portions to stick in and create an arch to bear support. Even without having access to custom made orthotics we were really able to improvise with materials and products we know they have access to and show them how to adapt to footwear and, when they are looking for footwear, what to look for.

“I think the biggest impact [on me] was probably a new perspective on the care that we have here and take for granted. I came back with a determination to educate and make people more aware.”

Aurora podologist Lisa Bensadoun spent a week earlier this year on the ground in St. Kitts and Nevis treating citizens for minor and severe foot ailments and showing how materials on hand could be modified to help alleviate chronic foot, knee, and hip pain. The response from St. Kitts residents, she said, was “over- whelming” when they came to seek treatment, as the line-up in the inset photo illustrates. The clinic was part of her residency at the North American School of Podology.