Coral Springs Plastic Surgeon Makes Fourth Medical Mission to Ecuador

Coral Springs plastic surgeon David J. Levens has completed his forth medical mission to Ecuador, correcting birth defects and disfiguring injuries for poor children and teens.
           
The former Chief of Surgery at Coral Springs Medical Center is part of a volunteer American medical team organized by Community Cares for Kids and the James Correa Foundation. This year, instead of being based in a well-equipped military hospital in Guayaquil, the team worked from a small, rural clinic in Manta where equipment and supplies were much more limited.  Despite those obstacles and operating virtually around the clock, 60 successful surgeries were performed to repair cleft lips and palates and deformities of the nose, ears and eyelids.  Surgeons also removed surface tumors and extra fingers, treated scars that had resulted from trauma, and repaired a range of hand and foot deformities.
           
For the second year, Dr. Levens’ son Ben participated as one of the non-medical volunteers on the mission team. He is a freshman at University of Florida.
           
“Sharing this experience with Ben made the mission even more rewarding,” Dr. Levens said. “Poor families in Ecuador have extremely limited health options, especially in the area of reconstructive plastic surgery.  Their gratitude for our attention is so touching, even in cases where there is no surgical solution for the problem. They have no expectations, just desperate hope.”
           
Dr. Levens has been performing all types of plastic surgery in Coral Springs since 1989. He earned his BS at MIT in Cambridge, MA, his MD at Columbia University in New York, and completed his residency at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, NY. He also competed a fellowship in hand surgery at the Orthopedic Hospital at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He was voted Top Cosmetic Surgeon in Coral Springs in 2007, 2008 and 2009.