Dr. Devinder Mangat and Dr. Allison Holzapfel recently returned from a week long surgical mission trip to Orange Walk, Belize. This area of Central America lacks sufficient surgical services in the fields of plastic surgery and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. During their week in Belize, over 250 people showed up for the screening day and the surgeons performed over 100 surgeries!
In 2004, Horizon Community Church set up a mission trip and traveled there to help build houses, install screens and run a vacation Bible school. A small surgical team provided medical help. Since that trip, the team has grown to having more than 50 volunteers. Dr. Mangat joined the trip six years ago and recruited Dr. Holzapfel to join for the first time this year.
The trip is quite busy with all the physicians and support personnel working long hours. The most rewarding part is seeing the patients after surgery with huge smiles on their faces.
