Annie Zancanella has been providing free quality dental care to extremely remote tribal communities outside Arusha, Tanzania for the past six years, now going on seven. For six months at a time, she will fly with a medical team to distant villages where she teaches dental hygiene and shares her dentistry knowledge, while treating mild to acute cases
She is now back in the Valley and gearing up for her return to Africa on Sept. 5. In collaboration with Mark Burrows, founder of Pollinator Chocolate, a fundraiser for medical supplies and other vital expenses will take place on Aug. 25 at The Cocoa Club in Carbondale.
Zancanella, affectionately called “The Tanzanian Tooth Fairy” by children in the villages, spends six months each year in Glenwood Springs, the place where she was born and raised. In that time she works a myriad of jobs here before returning to Africa, where she is a Tanzanian Government Board Certified DDS and MD board in addition to her U.S. training.
“Each year I’ve encountered countless children which I met during my first year, and they still recognize me and bring me their toothbrush to see how well they are taking care of it, Like a precious treasure along with their healthy smiles. They are so sweet and love to teach me more Swahili each year, which helps me to connect with them even better,” Zancanella told The Sopris Sun.
Courtesy photo
For the past six years she has provided oral health resources to many people in these communities. Some are provided in partnership with Colgate in Kenya. However the majority of these tools are purchased out of Zancanella’s own pocket.
When Burrows learned about her self-funded work, he felt inspired to help bring more attention to her cause. “As soon as I heard her story and saw the passion in her eyes when she talked about it, I was in awe,” Burrows stated. “Then, when I realized she was doing this alone, I thought, ‘That’s just ridiculous, and we need to fix that.’”
Asked how she got her start in dentistry, Zancanella said she felt inspired to pursue it after gaining confidence in her childhood after having braces removed. “I realized how much confidence and happiness comes from feeling good in your body, and I wanted to give that to other people.” She stated. “Plus, health-wise, my family struggled with strokes and heart disease, both of which can be linked to poor oral hygiene.”
Zancanella lost both her parents and multiple family members over the course of 18 months. She felt drawn to Tanzania during this time because her grandmother-figure, Juanita, was of Tanzanian descent.
“I decided to go where this beautiful soul I knew as my grandmother was from,” she explained. “I had always heard and read amazing things about Tanzania, and I was excited to get to know its people even better.”
After fighting her own battle with cancer for over 10 years along with these huge family losses and discovering her path to Tanzania, Zancanella took herself out of cancer treatments. It’s something she continues battling today and, according to her, the best treatment is her work. Each year when she returns after volunteering for six to eight months straight she goes in for her check-ups with her oncologist and they find her markers and tests are looking better and better.
“I am utterly happy there. These people have next to nothing, yet they’re happy.” She explained. “They don’t want things, just love and connections with people. It’s incredibly healing.”
The Cocoa Club fundraiser will be a fantastic opportunity to hear about Zancanella’s mission in more detail. The event will feature specialty cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a performance from traditional African-style dancers. Despite her admitted shyness, she is excited for the event and praises her friends for encouraging her to put her story out there.
“[My friends] have been vital to helping me set this whole thing up and bring people together. It will be my seventh year going, and it’s not something I ever want to stop,” Zancanella said with a smile.
Source : Sopris Sun
