| By: KRISTEN COPPOCK
Burlington County Times
Dr. Marc Goldberg is spreading smiles throughout the world.
The Cinnaminson resident regularly flies to South and Central America, and has been to Africa and Asia on medical missions. While he does some sightseeing, he's no ordinary tourist, and his trips aren't vacations. Instead, the anesthesiologist uses his medical background to improve the health of some of the world's poorest children. Goldberg is part of a team with Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro working with Healing the Children Midlantic Inc., a nonprofit organization that donates medical care to kids. In addition to helping young people domestically and during trips abroad, the group hosts youngsters from other countries who are brought to the United States for treatment.
According to Goldberg, who practices locally with Rancocas Anesthesiology in Cinnaminson, the volunteers provide services to children with medical cases that are not life-threatening. Some of the most common ailments they treat include cleft palates and lips, burns and eye conditions.
"We do surgeries that poor people have no way to get for their children. The parents are just trying to put food on the table, they're so poor," said Goldberg, adding that while the children's lives aren't necessarily threatened, their conditions are socially or physically disabling.
Disfigured children, he said, are social pariahs who likely won't have an opportunity to have normal relationships, including marriage. "In some of these countries, [parents] keep them in a closet. They're considered to be bad mojo," Goldberg said.
For his work, Goldberg is being honored by HTC during its 28th annual gala, "Celebrating the Magic of Healing," on April 25 in Whippany, Morris County. The group is presenting him with the Sue Tiger Award, given to an individual who has shown outstanding volunteer support for HTC and its medical teams.
"Dr. Goldberg is treasured by all who collaborate with him on behalf of impoverished children with medical needs. His passion and compassion are inspiring," said Pamela DePompo, executive director of HTC, in a statement. "He truly exemplifies the spirit of the late Sue Tiger, who established our Medical Teams Abroad in 1988."
Goldberg joined the organization after a nurse told him about it. A volunteer since 1998, he has traveled to El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Kenya and Thailand during eight medical trips. The missions, he said, are a lot like potato chips: "You can't eat just one."
During his first trip with HTC, Goldberg said children showed up wearing rice sacks with arm holes. "These folks have nothing." The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven when the medical team gave out Beanie Babies, he said. Members of the medical team rely on local sponsors for lodging and some meals. Goldberg said the team often is housed in dormitories, monasteries or inexpensive hotels.
Members are responsible for their own airfare and other personal expenses. The cost, he said, is well worth the missions.
"It's a wonderful experience. You get your dividend from heaven. Everyone wants to be there. Everyone wants to help these kids," Goldberg said. "Living in America, you really don't appreciate how poor the rest of the world is. Until you see it, it really doesn't register."
Wendy Marano, spokeswoman for the Lourdes Health System, said Goldberg is in good company with his foreign charitable work, as several area doctors also are working with nonprofit organizations. They include Gus Slotman, a surgeon working with Missionaries of the Poor; Douglas Mayer, an emergency physician with Hope Alive! Clinic Ministries; neonatologist Carolyn Crawford, who volunteers with Caring Partners International; and emergency physician Carrie Preston, a traveler with Global Health Ministry.
Slotman, with Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, travels to Jamaica with a volunteer group that includes his medical assistant, Dawn Haines, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorestown. Last month, he administered more than 1,000 vaccinations to people on the Caribbean island in an effort to curb a tuberculosis outbreak.
Mayer, who works at Lourdes in Willingboro, also provided medical care abroad last month during a visit to Haiti. He and his team treated more than 2,500 people for ailments ranging from headaches and joint pain to skin infections and pneumonia.
"The missions keep me in check,"Mayer said. "You get used to the grind here, to working in the modern emergency department. There, you get down to basics. You're living in conditions that would be subpar in the United States. You come back and have a whole new light on everything, from your personal life to your career."
Email: kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com
April 12, 2009
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Pamela DePompo visited St. Joseph Catholic School in Mendham on January 29, 2009 during the school's commemoration of Catholic Schools Week. Ms. DePompo addressed the students about HTC programs and service to the community, which was the theme of this year's celebration. Pamela accepted a donation from the students of hand-decorated pillowcases, over-the-counter medications, books and toys to be distributed to children served by HTC.
The Rahway High School Girls Volleyball Team conducted the Fourth Annual HTC Girls Invitational Volleyball Tournament on September 27, 2008. Pamela DePompo was delighted to visit RHS and accept a $3,040 contribution - which represented the Tournament proceeds - from Girls Volleyball Coach Ray Candiloro. 
Pamela also congratulated Varsity Team Co-Captain Catherine Courtot on the event's success. We thank Rahway High School, Coach Candiloro, student athletes, volunteer officials, Rahway Recreational Center, and Merck Volunteer Focus Group for their generosity. 