From Amos to ‘Hollywood’ in one Manatee RAM minute

It happened in a RAM second.

Bradenton’s Amos Womack, who lives on 11th Street East in Bradenton, was having trouble seeing and, after having a thorough eye exam at Sunday’s free Remote Area Medical USA clinic at Manatee Technical College, he was being fit for a pair of eyeglass frames to go with lenses made just for him.

That’s when RAM volunteer Dawn Donley, a student in the opticianry program at Hillsborough Community College, gently tried a rounded pair she thought would work for the shape of his face.

“I like the round look, it’s coming back into popularity,” Donley said. “Like Hollywood.”

A smile spread slowly across Womack’s face like a rising sun.

When called ‘Hollywood’ soon after, Womack let loose a deep laugh.

“I go to Centerstone of Florida and they told me I could get free glasses here,” Womack said. “This is great.”

“Hollywood” Womack was one of many poignant stories on the final day of the 2016 RAM event.

SCF dental students learn things not in books

Kimberly Bastin, the director of the dental hygiene program at State College of Florida, said she was gratified that bringing her students to RAM taught them so much.

“What I am never going to forget is how happy the patients are and how thankful they were that we were here, everyone helping out,” second year SCF dental hygiene student Jamie Mazzoccoli said. “It’s very emotional.”

“Right now in class we are learning about all the conditions in the mouth, but we haven’t really seen it,” said first-year SCF student Olivia Tompkins. “We are just working on each other in clinic, but this gave us the chance to see these conditions in real life.”

Marye Lois McCroskey, a family practice doctor, was probably the medical pro who came the farthest to volunteer. McCroskey lives in Hawaii.

McCroskey is licensed to practice in Florida, which enables her to volunteer. Her parents, Miriam Welch and Jim Pellettieri, both live in Bradenton, so she combined a family visit with a volunteer mission. She has also volunteered in Haiti.

“Quite a bit of hypertension and a little bit of diabetes,” McCroskey said when asked what kind of cases she saw the most Sunday.

“Some acute sinus infections and quite a bit of mental health discomfort as well,” McCroskey concluded.

This story was originally published November 13, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "From Amos to ‘Hollywood’ in one Manatee RAM minute."