A newsletter from David J. Levens, MD, FACS
Board-certified plastic surgeon
Please contact me for a free consultation with Dr. Levens.
Medical Mission to Ecuador
When Dr. Levens made his medical mission to Ecuador this summer—his third—he took along a new helper, son Benjamin, age 17.
“Before we left, I had thought about medicine as a career, but after seeing firsthand what a difference medicine can make in people’s lives, I know for sure it’s what I want to do,” says Ben.
An incoming senior at Margaret Stoneham Douglas High School, Ben spent a week in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with the Community Cares for Kids medical team that has been making the trip for 13 years. Dr. Levens and mission founder Dr. Frank Collini, a plastic surgeon from Shavertown, PA, performed 70 surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates, deformities of the nose, ears and eyelids, scars resulting from trauma and a range of hand deformities. They also removed surface tumors and extra fingers. Patients were children and teens from poor families with limited access to health care.
“One of greatest people I met was an 8-year-old boy named Oliver, who had an extra thumb on one hand,” Ben recalls. “Before and after the surgery to remove the extra thumb, we were able to get to know one another because he had learned some English and was eager to practice.”
Ben says he was also impressed with “the amazing efficiency of a mission medical team. Surgeries were performed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, followed by several hours of triage (medical evaluations) on patients to be seen later in the week.” Ben helped with patient intake, scheduling and “tried to entertain the kids waiting for surgery and during recovery. They were so brave and their parents were so grateful. I definitely want to do it again next summer.”
Dr. Levens has been practicing in Coral Springs since 1989.
“These missions are the most satisfying things I’ve done in my professional life,” Dr. Levens says. “Having Ben with me for this trip, watching him relate to patients with such empathy, was a very special experience.” At 6’3 and 6’1 respectively, father and son must have made a memorable team!
Please contact me for a free consultation with Dr. Levens.