Message from Dane
Photo by Vanessa Gavalya
Eric Clapton once sang, “That I can change the world, I would be the sunlight in your universe.”Born in Qui Nhon, Vietnam, my family and I immigrated to the United States in 1979 and settled in Dallas, Texas. Almost 34 years later, I returned to Vietnam for the first time as a volunteered pediatric dentist with Operation Smile. I had the honor and pleasure of joining Dr. Daniel Taub and Dr. Mike Gioffre, Jr. on the dental mission in March 2008. The mission was a life-changing experience for myself. Not only was it a chance to return to the country of my birth for the first time, but more importantly it was an opportunity to learn what it truly means to help those in need. We sometimes forget how blessed we are to live in the United States, but there is a world of children beyond our borders that desperately need our help. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Taub and Dr. Gioffre, I have learned that a pediatric dentist from Dallas, Texas can change the world and be the sunlight in the universe of children thousands of miles away.
Dane Hoang, D.D.S., M.S.
