02 Jan DR. EDDS – ON A MISSION
On May 16, 2014, Dr. Edds will be the Mission Director, leading a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, surgical technicians and support staff to Santa Marta, Colombia for a medical mission. This mission, sponsored by Healing The Children, Northeast, treats children in Colombia, South America, who have suffered severe burns. These injuries are common in Colombia because of the use of highly-flammable gasoline cooking stoves and the use of hot oil in cooking many foods. There is minimal availability of medical services locally for these children. The goal of this mission is to treat the severe scarring left from these burns to allow for a more normal life. During the week, about 120 procedures will be performed on seventy five patients. Many of these patients travel for hundreds of miles to obtain this corrective surgery. Dr. Edds will be joined by a plastic surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic System, along with plastic surgery residents in training. This will be the fourth year for Dr. Edds volunteering for the Santa Marta mission. A similar mission to Lima, Peru is being added for 2015. Information on this and other missions can be found at www.HTCNE.org.