Faith Regional Health Services | living WELL | Fall 2017

THIS PAST JULY, Zackary Gangwer, DPM, a podiatrist and foot and ankle surgeon at Faith Regional Health Services, traveled to Bolivia with Operation Rainbow to perform free surgeries for children and young adults who do not have ac- cess to medical care. After 20 hours of traveling, Dr. Gangwer spent the week working 10- to 12-hour days in the clinic or operating room. “The children, that’s why we do it,” says Dr. Gangwer. “They have these deformities and things they’re born with, and they’re stigmatized.” He performed several surgeries on club feet, an abnormal- ity typically present at birth where the baby’s foot is twisted out of shape or position. In the United States, it’s typically treated with casting soon after birth so surgery is avoided, but in developing countries, children often live with untreated deformities. “They adapt and they can walk with it, but they get made fun of,” says Dr. Gangwer. “So it’s literally life-changing. They’re not beautiful when they are done, but they’re flat and normal, so to speak, and function.” Other kids treated had rickets, fractures that healed wrong, length issues with their legs, extra toes and cerebral palsy. Dr. Gangwer and the team of volunteer surgeons performed more than 40 surgeries. “We operated at a municipal hospital, one that is part of their national health care system where those who do not have insurance go for medical care,” says Dr. Gangwer. “These Mission: Health 10 FAITH REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICES