Dr. Stieg participated in his 19^th mission trip Labor Day week 2007 as part of a Florida Hospital SHARES surgical mission trip providing cleft lip and palate repair surgeries in Merida, Mexico, which is the capital of the Yucatan Peninsula.  Dr. Stieg not only provided his surgical services, but also served as the Team Leader of this mission team, which included 23 other volunteers - 19 from Orlando and 4 from Mexico.  One member of the team was plastic surgeon Dr. Mari Flores, with whom Dr. Stieg has now worked with 6 times in Merida.  Sharon Stieg and Gretchen Stieg were other team members, as were Diane and Leslie from our office.

Over the course of the week long trip, 69 patients were evaluated and 49 of those were provided with surgical services, totaling 55 surgeries preformed by Dr. Stieg and his team.  Among the patients treated was the familiar face of Santos Jesus, whom we first encountered on our 2004 trip to Merida.  During this trip, Santos received his third surgery, though we would still like him to be able to receive additional dental work and speech therapy. 

Plans are already underway for trips to Mexico in 2008.  Plastic Surgery Specialists feels grateful to participate with both Florida Hospital SHARES and with Rotary International, both in Winter Park and Mexico, to accomplish such tremendous service to these children in Mexico.  Of course, we also couldn't manage without our great partnerships with our Mexican friends, either.  It is only in working together that these children can receive the care that they need - free of charge - that they might never receive otherwise.

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