The Lodge at Chaa Creek congratulated “a good friend to Belize,” Dr Howard David Krein on his wedding to US Vice President Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley Blazer Biden.
Chaa Creek’s owner and general manager, Lucy Fleming, said that Dr Krein was recognised for his volunteer work in the small Central American country on the Caribbean coast.
“While I do not personally know Dr Krein, I do know that he spends several weeks each year doing volunteer work here in Belize as part of the International Hospital for Children. He’s especially known for his work with operating on kids with facial deformities, which I found to be particularly impressive.
“Words can’t really describe the impact his work has on young people in a small country like ours, where resources are limited and there aren’t many opportunities for children to get the sort of services he provides. He’s certainly a very good friend to Belize,” she said.
Dr Krein and Ashley Biden were married Saturday, June 2 in Wilmington, Delaware.
ABC news in the US described Dr Krein as a “philanthropist physician” specialising in ears, nose and throat, or otolaryngology, and plastic surgery. He is an assistant professor of facial, plastic, and reconstructive surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and also volunteers for Faces of Honour, an organisation assisting soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as victims of domestic violence.
“For someone with a resume as impressive as Dr Krein’s to take the time to help out children down here in Belize, well, it speaks volumes about what sort of person he is.
“We know how important self-esteem is to a child, and how difficult it is for people in a developing country to access the sort of care he provides freely to people down here. When I first heard of his work I found it very touching, and I’m sure I’m joining many Belizeans in wishing him and his new wife all the best in their lives together,” Ms Fleming said.
The couple were introduced by Vice President Biden’s son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden in 2010.
The non-profit International Hospital for Children has provided surgical and medical assistance to children around the world since 1981and coordinates volunteer doctors for relief missions in times of disasters such a Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian earthquake.