With Steady Hands: A Surgeon of the People

WITH S T E A DY HANDS

Story by Sheila Harris | Photos by Sarah Lee

A surgeon of the people DR. STACY HARMS, MONETT’S NEWEST surgeon, has already proven to be a source of inspiration for those who have met her.

When consulting with a new patient for the first time, her engaging personality and obvious knowledge of her profession generate an immediate sense of confidence in her abilities, a fact to which this writer can personally attest.

She also inspires enthusiasm among her co-workers at Cox Monett Hospital, with whom she is affiliated.

Janell Patton, public relations manager for Cox Monett, could not be more proud of Dr. Harms.

“She is a perfect fit for the Monett area,” said Patton, “and we’d like to keep her with us for a very long time.”

Dr. Harms spent a large part of her childhood in Dallas, Texas. Her family later moved back to Little Rock, Arkansas, the city of her birth, where she graduated from high school. At age 16, while helping doctors with various aspects of patient health care on a church mission trip to Honduras, she realized that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine herself. Raised in a Christian environment where she was actively involved with her church, Harms saw medicine as a way to have a positive impact on the lives of others.

“Missionaries often go to people in third world countries to tell them about 42 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Jesus,” stated Harms, “but you can’t tell people about Jesus when they are sick and hungry. You first have to address their physical needs.”

Unlike so many teenagers who do not have a specific goal in mind to aim toward, Dr. Harms feels blessed to have been able to clearly see the direction she wanted to go and feels strongly that God had a hand in it.

“I’ve always loved science,” said Harms,

“and both of my parents were in the medical profession. With the combination of those factors, the way seemed to open up for me.”

Based in part on the recommendation of a friend from her church, Dr. Harms attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where she majored in biology.

She continued on to medical school at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, then spent time

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in internship and residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. While in medical school, after consulting with various physicians, she decided to make surgery her focus, in particular, general surgery.

“A general surgeon is more all-around, hands-on with patients, and can be involved in every aspect of patient treatment” declared Harms. “I’m part of an entire team. Although I perform the surgery, I get to appreciate the rewards of my labor by participating in follow-up care as well.

“I really enjoy seeing my patients in the office before and after surgery, getting to know them as people and realizing that I’ve played a part in their lives.”

While in medical school, that desire to make a difference is what prompted Dr. Harms to participate in a church-affiliated, two-month mission trip to Angola, Africa, as a surgical trainee. While there, she assisted Dr. Steve Foster, who had relocated to Angola from his home in Canada.

“Working in Africa was an eye-opening experience for me,” declared Dr. Harms.

“Since then, one of my goals is to be in a position to serve people in countries where they have limited access to health care.

Here in the United States, if a person needs to have a tumor removed, they can go anywhere in the nation and find any number of surgeons able to help them. In Africa, however, that’s not the case. Dr. Foster and I were able to perform 30 surgeries a day, but that wasn’t enough. People came from long distances and filled up the waiting area every day, hoping to have a turn in the operating room. We were usually unable to get to all of them in one day, so they would come back, several days in a row, if necessary. Many of our patients were children who had large, disfiguring tumors, which needed removed,” she continued.

“People become desperate when their children are involved, and we tried to help as many as possible, although it didn’t seem like there were enough hours in the day.”

According to Dr. Harms, in addition to the shortage of surgeons, the medical facilities in Angola were under-supplied and fell far below the hygienic standards of hospitals in the United States.

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“The people we operated on in Angola were not only desperate, but they were tough,” stated Dr. Harms. “We had no pain medications other than Tylenol or Ibuprofen, and virtually no antibiotics. We performed surgery on people, but had inadequate follow-up measures to prevent infection.

Amazingly, most of them survived.”

Diagnostic tools were also scarce, with a single X-ray machine as the only means of attempting to deduce what might lie beneath the surface of the skin.

“There were many times,” said Dr. Harms, “when Dr. Foster would simply have to open a patient up to find out what was inside. It was a little frightening, but there was also a sense of anticipation in discovering the source of a problem. I hope some day to be as skilled as he is.”

Dr. Harms currently lives in Monett with her cat Bianca. She spends as much

time as possible outdoors and enjoys bicycling, camping, hiking and getting together with her parents and brothers in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She loves the Monett area and appreciates the warm reception she has received from both the medical professionals and the community at large and hopes to establish many new friendships here in the upcoming year.

Sometime after that, however, she plans to follow through with her desire to serve as a medical missionary, this time as a fullfledged surgeon.

After putting her application in to various mission groups, she has been accepted by TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Missions) to serve as a surgeon to Karanda Mission Hospital in a remote area of northern Zimbabwe. Based on her previous experience in Angola, she has some idea of what to expect, though. A language barrier will be one of only many challenges to overcome.

“In Angola, Portuguese was the most commonly spoken language,” stated Dr. Harms, “and I was able to learn the basics of it before I went over there. In Zimbabwe, however, the predominant language is Shona, which is nearly impossible to study for in advance.”

When asked why she chose Africa as a destination for her mission work again, as opposed to other areas of the world, Harms stated that it’s because Africa has the greatest need.

“Per capita, on a map of surgeon availability, Africa has more gaps than anywhere else in the world,” she explained.

“I want to be able to serve those people by using the skills God has provided me with.”

“God has guided my steps at every turn through my medical training,” stated Harms.

“There were moments when I had my doubts that this was God’s plan for me. I wondered whether I could withstand the rigors of 120-

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hour weeks and countless nights without sleep. Now, here I am, and I owe it all to Him. I don’t know what lies ahead for me, but I will continue to follow His leading and trust that the best is yet to come.”

Although Dr. Harms does not yet know how much time she will spend in Zimbabwe, she would like to return to the Monett area after her work there.

“I love being part of a small, close-knit community,” she said. “This would be a wonderful place to raise children someday.”

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Harms, her office may be contacted at 417236-2440.

Words cannot express how lucky I feel to be in Monett, Missouri. It is such a blessing to be involved in the excellent care that is provided at Cox Monett Hospital by the staff, employees, and administration.

We live in such a richly endowed community. The resources we have for success and happiness exceed the opportunities a person in Africa could even dream of. My desire to care for patients’ surgical needs is fulfilled on a daily basis. So why would I want to go to a part of the world where healthcare is sometimes frustrating, futile, and tragic?

Rather than try to explain it, let me tell you how you can discover the rewards yourself: get involved!

If you would like to learn more about overseas missions, go towww.medicalmissions.com, or if you are interested in non-medical trips, a broader search is available at www.shorttermmissions.com.

-- Stacy Harms, M.D. 44 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

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