Raising a glass to better health
“L’chaim!”
“Mabuhay!”
“To health!”
No matter how you say it, around the world, glasses of wine are often raised and clinked with the hopes of long life and good health.
Davis residents Craig and Karen Senders are taking it a step further and using the proceeds from their hand-crafted Senders Wines to bring hope-filled and healthy lives to people around the world.
Craig Senders, M.D., a professor of pediatric otolaryngology at UC Davis, and Karen have been making their own wine since 2005. Dr. Senders was traveling abroad long before they bottled their first Pinot Noir, to perform surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates.
While he and all the other doctors on his team pay their own way, the wine sales offset costs of other things like sutures, instruments and procedures.
“(In America,) when you repair a cleft and bring the mother in to see her 3-month-old child … to see her expression is one of the amazing pleasures and benefits of doing this,” said Senders, who has been the director of the UCD Cleft and Craniofacial Program since 1985. “In Third World nations, some people are 10 years old when the operation is done. In an older child, the difference is so much more. It’s very powerful.”
The occurrence of cleft lips or palates in America is one in 600 births. It is more common among Asians and Native Americans and can have its cause in nutritional issues.
“The best way to avoid it, no matter your ethnic background, is to start prenatal vitamins when you’re thinking about getting pregnant,” Senders said. “If you wait until you know you’re pregnant, the lip is often formed by then.”
Of all the surgeries he’s performed, the reconstructed smile that jumps to the forefront of his thoughts belongs to a 23-year-old Filipina named Alora. When Senders first met her in the Philippines in 2011, she bore the scars of a poorly done cleft lip surgery.
No effort had been made to fix her cleft palate, which jutted forward over her lower lip, making her speech unintelligible. The team of doctors from America came up with a plan that not only fixed her palate but repaired her lip and gave her the chance to be heard.
“This is why you became a doctor,” said Senders, who has taken part in 30 different treks to eight different destinations.
In 2010, Senders took his oldest child, Julia, to the Philippines where she kept instruments clean and saw first-hand the changes. The couple’s youngest child, Parker, was supposed to be with the doctor on his current weeklong trip, which started last Friday, but he broke his leg while skiing for the Davis High School squad.
“I was really bummed that Parker broke his leg and couldn’t go,” Karen Senders said. “Julia came back a changed girl.”
A typical week abroad starts with screenings and evaluations on Sunday, followed by four to five operations per table each day, Monday through Friday. Last month, Craig traveled to the Philippines with Faces of Tomorrow. The organization, which was formed by UC Davis doctors who work with Senders, operated on more than 70 cleft lips and palates.
Senders has traveled with several organizations, including Mercy Ships, Operation Restore Hope, Face to Face, Smile Train and Operation Smile.
“Life is full of opportunities,” he said. “America is amazing in that there are so many places that offer trips.”
One of those chance happenings started in the 1990s when the Senderses were introduced to Henry Spoto, a Sicilian winemaker.
“California is … fabulous if you want to learn about wines. We went to Napa and met Henry. We transitioned into helping him make wine, and then suddenly, a year later, he cut me off and said, ‘Do it yourself,’ ” the doctor recalled with a laugh.
“In 2005, I was having a little mid-life crisis and was figuring should I buy a fast car or have a winery? I had a fast car earlier in my life, so we went with a winery.”
Following Spoto’s instructions, the Senderses bought their grapes from the best of California’s growers and started the Senders Wines label. They have produced various wines from cabernets to rosés to cuveés. Their newest release is Julia’s Cuveé, named after their daughter. It is a special Bordeaux blend.
Looking to blend his two passions, putting the proceeds from wine sales toward creating more smiles seemed a perfect blend.
Senders Wine has produced 500 cases, but the couple would like to sell even more to reach even more.
“We’ve made some difference,” the doctor said, “but I want to make a big difference.”
Senders Wines may be purchased in Davis at Valley Wine Company, 417 G St., or online at www.SendersWines.com. In addition, Senders Wine has a current promotion for new Imperial and Magnum level Wine Club members. The company will donate $100 to surgical outreach for each new member who commits to purchasing either a case or six bottles twice a year at discounted prices.
No matter what you drink, raise your glass — and as they say in the Philippines — Mabuhay!
— For more information on medical outreaches, read Senders’ Wine with a Cause blog at wineswithacause.wordpress.com.
— Reach Kim Orendor at korendor@davisenterprise.net
Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=135951
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Posted by Kim Orendor
on Feb 16 2012.
Last Login: Sat 19 May 2012 02:59:12 PM PDT
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