The Dalai Lama Recognized Mission Plasticos for More than Five Years of Altruistic Service Helping the People of Nepal Suffering from Traumatic Burns
IRVINE, CA, Nov. 29, 2022—Mission Plasticos, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing life-changing reconstructive surgery to people in need, celebrates Giving Tuesday with words of praise received from His Holiness the Dalai Lama during a recent meeting in Nepal. The Dalai Lama was particularly impressed with the Acute Burn Program launched by Mission Plasticos in 2017 which has treated over a thousand patients in Nepal suffering from traumatic burns while training local medical teams to continue an exponential impact of care between annual missions.
The meeting with the Dalai Lama included scientific thought leaders from Mission Plasticos: Board Member Dr. Hans Keirstead, Founder and Medical Director Dr. Larry Nichter, and Anesthesia Critical Care and ICU Professor Dr. Sam Sharar. The meeting was organized by Dr. Keirstead, who also serves as chairman of Immunis, a biotechnology company focused on age- and disease-related immune decline. Among the discussions, the Dalai Lama noted the medicinal benefits of altruism and the need to care for other individuals as an essential compulsion of humans.
Dr. Keirstead said, “Our team is honored to have met with His Holiness to discuss the broader value of the care Mission Plasticos and our local partners provide—a value felt not just by the individual patients, but also by their communities and humanity as a whole.”
Mission Plasticos Executive Director Susan Williamson said, “Recognition for our life-changing work in Nepal by His Holiness is not only a blessing for our organization but also a testament to the selfless dedication of our volunteer medical teams and the donors who make it all possible. On this Giving Tuesday, we celebrate their goal-directed altruism which supports Mission Plasticos and helps thousands of people worldwide.”
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About Mission Plasticos
Founded in 1999 by renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Nichter, Mission Plasticos is a 501-c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing reconstructive surgery to those in need, training local medical professionals, and supporting ongoing research focused on improving standards of care. Our board-certified volunteer surgeons and medical teams provide reconstructive breast surgery for post-mastectomy women, burn contracture surgery, as well as post traumatic, congenital deformity, and other reconstructive surgical care at no cost to patients. Over the last two decades, Mission Plasticos has completed more than 100 missions in 15 countries, trained over 5,000 doctors, and treated over 16,000 patients.
In 2022 Mission Plasticos launched Reshaping Lives: Full Circle—the first large-scale nationwide program providing no-cost breast reconstruction surgery for post-mastectomy women in the U.S. who are uninsured or underinsured. Mission Plasticos provides this care using volunteer board-certified plastic surgeons across the country who are experts in breast reconstruction. Part of Mission Plasticos’ broader Reshaping Lives America program, Reshaping Lives: Full Circle is based on the success of Mission Plasticos’ global work over the last 23 years and their pioneering domestic work in California since 2016. For more information, visit https://missionplasticos.org.
Media Contact:
Nicky Diaz
TogoRun on behalf of Mission Plasticos
630.253.2559
[email protected]
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