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ON THE COVER: Tim Mitchell
Find out how the Executive Director of Parker Street Ministries first got the call to helping reshape the neighborhood.
Photo by Jordan Randall
FEATURES
18 FROM STIGMA TO SOLUTIONS
Love Chiropractic Center and Hello Health, Wellness and Hormones are helping Lakelanders find relief from pain with tried and true, as well as cutting-edge procedures.
41 HEALTH CARE HEROES
Trust of health care professionals is earned, and this dynamic group of doctors have experiences to prove they are among the best at caring for individual and families facing life’s toughest tests.
28 ROGUE MISSIONARY
Tim Mitchell loved people and he loved God but he didn’t love the idea of being a missionary. Several decades later, he recounts the experience of loving people well in just that kind of role.
72 THE HEART BEHIND THE BADGE
While police officers may at times seem invincible, real life is a different story. Enjoy an inspiring look inside the profession from local officers who are no stranger to tough times.
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CONTRIBUTORS
EDITORIAL
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The Lakelander is published 12 times annually by Lakelander Media, 1505 Florida Ave. S, Lakeland, FL 33803. Reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission of The Lakelander is prohibited. The Lakelander is not responsible for any unsolicited submissions.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
ven though I’m quick to skip past Taylor Swift on most playlists (much to my 11-yearold daughter’s chagrin), I have to give a nod to one of her tracks called “Anti-Hero.”
Despite the fact she is a global music and entertainment icon, Swift admittedly penned this song to shed light on her personal insecurities and to reveal her very human character flaws that are hard for her to come to grips with.
Even though I’m sure our life arc, our day-to-day routines and our definitions of success are much different, I appreciate her vulnerability and honesty.
As Scripture says, we are all clay in the hand of a Master potter, and often our cracks are where the light shines through the brightest.
My personal heroes might look pretty ordinary at first glance, but how they serve others and how they overcome adversity and obstacles is heroic indeed.
My mom never earned a college degree or has held a prominent title, but she shows what it means to love in word and deed, she is quick to forgive and she knows how to make a million small deposits that can turn into a treasure.
My friend Martin might not be a household name to many influencers in Lakeland, but he is one of the most influential people God ever put in my life. When he coaches youth sports he acts like Game 7 of the NBA Finals is on the line while treating every player with dignity, he offers life skills tips to 6 year olds the same way he advises 60 year olds and he demonstrates a kind of loyalty you don’t often see and can’t quite capture with just words.
Heroes usually don’t recognize their impact until they are forced to reflect on it.
In this issue of The Lakelander there are likely some names you know and others you don’t. Some have reached the pinnacle of their careers, while others are trying to figure out what that summit might be. Something that is a common thread amongst them all, though, is that they have embarked on lifelong journeys to find their purpose and have blessed a lot of people along the way. From doctor’s offices and hospital rooms to police cars to churches and the streets of our city, there are plenty of signs of how we all have failed each other and the pain of the present age. Yet, in those same spaces there are so many reasons to be encouraged and find hope. There are heroes among us worth celebrating and honoring, and each day holds the possibility that you, too, through an act of kindness or sacrifice can be heroic in the same way.
RJ Walters EDITOR
THE BUZZ
CONTRIBUTORS
JACK PORTUNE
Jack Portune is a Florida-based photographer originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. With more than five years of experience behind the lens, he’s captured everything from collegiate athletics at the national level to large-scale events.
Most recently, Jack photographed the Miss Florida Pageant and has also worked with organizations like Goodwill. His experience includes everything from graduations and senior portraits to banquets and corporate events. Whether behind the camera or designing visuals, Jack brings intention, creativity, and a passion for storytelling to every project.
ELIZABETH PEREZ-LIBRAN
Elizabeth was born in Miami but raised in Winter Haven, Fla.. She is currently attending Florida Southern College, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. She hopes to find a job in the future that fills that need and passion to design and use her talents, while also learning and growing.
When she’s not designing for The Lakelander or school you can find her viewing installations of paintings and sculptures that inspire her at The AGB Museum of Art and enjoying local restaurants, libraries and the natural beauty of Lakeland’s parks as she integrates herself more into everything Lakeland has to offer.
VICTORIA BARDEGA
Victoria Bardega is a content creator based out of Central Florida who is passionate about building community. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism/public relations at Southeastern University, and has worked in marketing at a large non-profit and was a leader at a regional digital media company. She is gifted in photography, writing, social media and marketing.
When she’s not photographing a love story or writing lifestyle pieces, she’s making memories with her husband, Alan, and their sweet daughters, Valley and Lucia. She loves team work, the Oxford comma, laughter, and endless cups of tea lattes!
*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) accurate as of 07/14/2025. Rates subject to change without notice. 4.75% APY is only available for members with a minimum account balance of $1,000. For details view Share Certificate rates and disclosures on our website at pefcu. com. APY assumes dividends remain on deposit until maturity. Penalty for early withdrawal may apply. At maturity, the 11-month share certificate will automatically renew as a 12-month share certificate at the then-current rate and terms. Dividends are credited monthly. Membership qualification required.
“There’s a stigma with chiropractors, where they try to tell the patient that it’s going to require all these visits to get to the end of this problem. I wanted to have a practice where people could trust my opinion and I would give them a reasonable recommendation.”
DEVELOPED
IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH LOVE CHIROPRACTIC AND HELLO HEALTH, WELLNESS AND HORMONES
WRITTEN BY SHAWN LAFATA | PHOTOS BY JACK PORTUNE
Right about the time the pharmaceutical world found itself at a major intersection in the early 2000s— between booming sales that were climbing to another stratosphere and a thin bottom that couldn’t support the massive weight it was carrying—Dr. Tiffany Love was coming to a crossroads of her own.
Tiffany was on the verge of taking the same turn that lured many of her soon-to-be medical schoolmates onto a road where the big pharma marketing machine had both hands on the wheel of the healthcare industry.
Sensing that those in control had little moral sense of what it meant to pump the brakes, Tiffany opted for an alternative route.
“I was doing cancer research at the University of Chicago while waiting to take my MCAT exams,” said Tiffany, who originally had her sights set on cosmetic surgery. “While doing that, I realized that traditional medicine was not the route I wanted to take.”
NOT JUST A MEDICAL ASSEMBLY LINE
The payoff for that decision came in 2011 with the creation of the Love Chiropractic Center, a venture with her husband, Dr. Stephen Love.
Together they have built one of Lakeland’s most respected medical practices and a community staple that treats patients’ underlying problems—aiming to take the necessary time to identify the root cause of health problems as opposed to quick fixes that get one patient out the door to make room for the next.
With the addition of nurse practitioner Danielle Nasello, who is renting space at the Love’s building in South Lakeland, the Love Chiropractic Center has added another specialist whose mentality lives out the company tagline: The treatment you need, no more, no less.
“There’s a stigma with chiropractors, where they try to tell the patient that it’s going to require all these visits to get to the end of this problem,” Stephen said. “I always thought to myself, that’s not really necessary. I wanted to have a practice where people could trust my opinion and I would give them a reasonable recommendation.”
That has resonated with the patients since Stephen and Tiffany bought the former Chiropractic Center of Lakeland South. It doesn’t hurt that Stephen is a hometown boy either.
“I really like being back in my hometown helping out the people in the community,” Stephen said. “And quite frankly, it was easier to build a business in your hometown than it would be if you didn’t know anybody.”
Born in Northern Ireland, Stephen’s family moved to the United States when he was just 5 years old to escape political turmoil in the country.
Stephen’s father eventually found work in Lakeland. The oldest of three boys, Stephen went to Lake Gibson High School before earning a degree in business administration from Florida Southern.
ORIGIN OF THE LOVE’S STORY
Like Tiffany, Stephen also had a decision to make at his own life intersection—choosing between being a chiropractor or a physical therapist.
Eventually his path collided with Tiffany’s at Palmer College in Port Orange, Fla. That’s where the pair met the future Dr. Erika Love, who would eventually join the staff not long after marrying Stephen’s younger brother.
Erika rounded out the chiropractic staff, which also included Dr. Christopher Terry, another Palmer alum.
Top photo: Dr. Stephen Love uses dry needling to help a person’s body release endorphins and reduce inflammation.
Bottom photo, from left to right: Dr. Chris Terry, Dr. Erika Love, Dr. Tiffany Love and Dr. Stephen Love make up the leadership team at Love Chiropractic.
DRY NEEDLING: NOT JUST A PASSING TREND
Dr. Chris Terry and Dr. Stephen Love have been using a lot of needles around patients this past year. But not the way in which doctors typically do so. Dry needling has become a hot topic on Internet hangouts such as YouTube and Reddit.
It’s not just a passing trend for the team or this summer’s latest challenge at the Love Chiropractic Center. Stephen said the clinic has had marked success with it.
Not to be confused with acupuncture, which is based on traditional Chinese medicine that targets meridians and energy pathways through the body, dry needling targets trigger points and tight bands of muscle and works similar to a needle filled with lidocaine. However, instead of something in the needle to inject, the dry needles are placed at certain points to disrupt inflamed muscles.
“The act of the needles being in there actually disrupts the cycle of how tight the muscles are,” Stephen said. “And it actually encourages the body to release endorphins and reduce inflammation.”
YOUNGER CLIENTELE SHOWING UP FOR DIFFERENT REASONS
Tiffany and Stephen said they continue to serve younger clients battling back and neck problems from the persistent use of electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones.
But not all of their younger clients are dealing with aches and pains. Stephen said he is seeing a lot of athletes coming to the office seeking treatments that help prevent future injury and maximize performance.
“There’s actually good data that shows that doing simple, very gentle spinal adjustments on people actually makes them perform better,” Stephen said.
While that’s going on, the chiropractic team is performing procedures like cupping and shockwave therapy. Shockwave therapy uses high-peak sound waves to transfer energy to tissues and bones in the body.
It activates the body’s healing process by increasing blood flow, helping muscles relax, re-generating bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles, and by releasing pain-relieving endorphins.
So many individuals struggle with chronic pain, and Love Chiropractic is committed to treat each case with the distinctive care and attention it deserves.
“One of our main goals here is that we want to give out good advice,” Stephen said, “and we just really want to help people get better as quickly as possible.
SAY HELLO TO A HEALTHIER YOU
Danielle Nasello tells her patients there’s no reason to settle for “normal” health whenever she can help them pursue optimal health.
Danielle has been a nurse practitioner since 2011, and she started her practice Hello Health, Wellness and Hormones that is now located inside Love Chiropractic Center, in part because of her deep desire to help patients determine root causes of their symptoms and explore ways “functional medicine” can help them live healthier, more satisfying lives.
Her practice focuses on hormone and testosterone replacement therapies, weight loss options and telehealth services. She is also adept at addressing gut and gastrointestinal issues and offers peptide therapy.
Utilizing comprehensive blood panels and a detailed evaluation, Danielle makes recommendations for next steps that often involve Biodentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).
“I’m not for everybody... if you just want an instant fix and you don’t want to put in the work, then... I’m not the best fit for you,” she says, noting patient visits average around one hour and center around education and understanding.
The practice doesn’t accept insurance, which allows Danielle the freedom to choose best treatments without an insurance company dictating options.
Danielle, who worked at Moffitt Cancer Center for nearly five years, says she works hard to debunk a myth that “hormones cause cancer,” which became a trending sentiment following a 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study that she deems to be flawed.
She said the study was stopped early and the results have been retracted, but many women still became suddenly afraid that taking hormones leads to cancer, when in fact modern research shows biodentical hormones can decrease risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and dementia.
Through her practice, Danielle aims to help perimenopausal and menopausal women find solutions that improve their mental and physical health, noting estrogen plays a vital role in women’s cardiovascular health.
In addition to hormone therapy, she enjoys conversing with patients about ideal nutrition for their bodies at their stages of life and ultimately she wants to help make people “as healthy and resilient as possible, so hopefully they never develop cancer”.
When it’s appropriate, such as when a patient is experiencing consistent high blood pressure, she is glad to help them explore traditional medicine solutions Danielle says the beauty of science is “knowing it changes and being open enough to change with it. When you know better, you can do better.”
INTERVIEW BY JASON JACOBS
PHOTOS BY JORDAN RANDALL
imply put, Parker Street Ministries is all about building community and sharing the love of Christ in a very specific geographic area.
Started in 1996 as a ministry of Shepherd Road Presbyterian Church, Parker Street Ministries aims to cultivate connections, foster spiritual growth, stabilize the neighborhood and support lifelong learners. Parker Street provides year-round after-school programs for neighborhood students, as well as programs throughout the summer for K-12 students. Through a strong volunteer base and dedicated staff, the ministry helps stabilize families and maintains and beautifies the neighborhood located just north of Downtown Lakeland. Throughout the year, Parker Street Ministries offers a variety of community-building and life-giving events including family dinner nights, Easter Celebration, Summer Splash, National Night Out, Fall Festival and Christmas Store.
Executive director Tim Mitchell is a man on a mission to help people find the “abundant life” God promises in the Bible, but his journey to being so deeply integrated in one of Lakeland’s most established ministries was not his great plan at all. It was God’s re-direction that has lasted nearly three decades and counting.
Jason Jacobs recently caught up with Tim to hear more about how his heart for serving people became a call to being a local missionary—even if that’s a title he never wanted.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
THE LAKELANDER
So I know most of this, but for people who don’t tell us about yourself.
TIM MITCHELL
I’m from Stuttgart, Ark., I graduated from Stuttgart High School. Married to Christy. We’ve been married for 25 years. We have one adopted son, James, who is actually living in the neighborhood now. He’s married and has three kids.
I grew up in a Christian family—both my parents are believers. I was raised with a strong sense of who I was in Christ and how that played into the way I look at the world. So I knew early on that people were our responsibility, that our neighbors mattered, that other people’s problems are our problems. Every year when we’d go buy our school clothes, my parents would have me and my sister pick out clothes for a kid our size to give away. And that was normal, I didn’t know there was any other way. I grew up with a really rich family devotional time. We always did dinner, prayed and read Scripture, and even sang Psalms.
I felt a real strong call my senior year of high school to do something, you know, for a gap year. I was going to go and spend a year doing ministry, and then go to college, and do my normal life after that. My sister lived in Lakeland before I graduated high school, so I had a free place to live. So Lakeland was not the place I felt God calling me to. It was just a free place, and I thought between Tampa and Orlando and the largeness of Florida, I could find somebody doing something that I could join.
I had done a lot of short-term mission trips and a lot of traveling to locations, sharing the Gospel and coming home. I did not want to be a missionary. I didn’t think missions sounded cool at all. So God made me a missionary. It’s comical. So it was that early kind of exposure to a life that God will call you to a place that’s not yours. I think God was already planting seeds for me, even before I knew it. I could go anywhere, kind of do anything. And I think God really uniquely skilled me with the ability to pretty much navigate any person, any group of people.
“I did not want to be a missionary. I didn’t think missions sounded cool at all. So God made me a missionary. It’s comical.”
What is the history of Parker Street Ministries?
TIM
I wanted to stay with people. If I had introduced them to Christ, I wanted to be able to be with them in their journey. When I moved to Lakeland, I started floating around, meeting with different people, and there was nothing really that I thought was “my spot.” Then my aunt, who also lives in Lakeland, heard about the Shepherd Road Presbyterian Church, which was the church that planted the Parker Street Project. Parker Street Project was a mission from the church to the Parker Street neighborhood. They bought some property and developed this place they called the Shepherd House, which was a tutoring center, and they invited college age students to move into the neighborhood as intentional residents. I was a part of the first wave of students that moved into the neighborhood. It was pretty loose, as they had hired a guy from Atlanta who worked with (well-known Christian community developer) Bob Lupton’s organization, and he was an associate pastor of Shepherd Road to the neighborhood.
The crazy college students were the ones who lived in the neighborhood. And so I joined that, still with the thought, I’m gonna be here a year and then go on to college and do whatever else. And, obviously God had bigger plans than that.
I had always, from an early age, known that I wanted to care for people. My grandparents are missionaries in Jos, Nigeria. My dad was born and raised in Jos. He was a missionary kid, and his life was something I did not want to have.
Then we went through two pretty quick executive director changes. The board came to the staff and said, “We need to know if you’re staying or leaving the staff.” We took a week to fast and pray to decide what we should do. We committed not to talk to each other for a week and just really prayed and fasted and asked God if we were supposed to do it. So we came back and I said I was staying and everyone else said they were leaving. At that point, I wasn’t trying to be the executive director. This was just me saying, I feel God’s calling me to stay in the neighborhood. I’m here. We had one board member staying around. That was John Tucker. So it was me and John Tucker and my wife, Christy. We got married right after this and they turned the ministry over to us and said, “Here you go.”
“The Gospel broke through to people. I had been telling people about Jesus for 10 years, [and] now we are meeting every Sunday, worshiping together, listening to the Word together in a physical place. I realized something about a church gathering made all the difference.”
TL
So you became the director by accident. Lots of great stories happen that way.
TIM
God has somehow given me the ability to just connect with people. And so, moving into this space, while it was totally not mine, and not a place I was from, I just thrived. I am comfortable talking to anybody, and I had a real passion for marginalized spaces, and a lot of it was built out of sinful arrogance and pride, you know? I love the way God cared enough about me to let me stay in that. I wouldn’t have moved into the neighborhood, but as soon as I did God just made me love it.
I had a real passion for marginalized spaces, [but] a lot of it was built out of sinful, arrogance and pride, you know? [In my mind,] all the churches weren’t doing their jobs, so I was gonna come fix what the church wasn’t doing.
Then, He flooded me with (partnering) churches...who were the people I wanted to “hate” but I realized quickly, they were caring for me, and making the ministry happen, [they] were sustaining us. And it was just like this horrendously difficult dichotomy of I want to hate these amazing people who serve Parker Street, and I just wanna love the people who live in the neighborhood. And God was like, you don’t get to pick. It wasn’t instant, and He didn’t wait till I was ready, right? I mean, I came into the neighborhood ill qualified, sinful and broken, and God was like, this is gonna work. It’s fascinating to think back on. I was 19 years old and I had nothing to offer the neighborhood, but God knew he could do something, and He just chose to do it through me.
TL Tell me about how Strong Tower Church has affected Parker Street?
TIM
Strong Tower was birthed out of a conversation with me and Ben Turner when Ben was on staff here as a classroom leader. He was feeling called to something pastoral. I initially thought it would just be a traditional church pastor [and] church planting was starting to kind of come on the scene for him. He was starting to hear stuff about, read about it. He and I were really considering planting a church. We had met with [Trinity Presbyterian Lead Pastor] Tim Rice, and I actually was going to seminary classes just to see if I could even get my head wrapped around what it would take, whether I had to do alternative credentialing or whatever it was. But could I actually be the church planting pastor?
Pretty shortly after diving into that I realized I did not want that but also felt very strong that we needed a church. So, we kept praying…kept meeting with people. I spent a lot of time chasing people down and just never found anybody that was like, man, this, this is the guy. So I met Ben. Ben was excited about it, and so Ben and I started praying together about it. So we met with Tim Rice and said, “Hey, we wanna do this.”
Ben went to seminary and we were doing Bible studies and Person of Jesus studies and all these different things in the neighborhood. Kind of as we’re building this core and really getting excited about it, we are feeling like this is God moving, and we ultimately said, “OK, God, this is what you’re telling us to do, so we’re gonna do it.” So Ben finished seminary and jumped through all of the hoops of becoming ordained.
So we planted Strong Tower. (History: Trinity Presbyterian Church started Strong Tower Church and allowed Parker Street Ministries to rent the space from them.)
It’s an amazing process that I would never wish on anyone. But what was so cool about it was we were sharing the Gospel with people for years. They’re coming to Bible studies; we had a weekly Wednesday night Bible study in the neighborhood where people are hearing me and Ben share the Gospel. The first week we had church, those same people were like, wow, hey, come on, have a seat. We now had a place, a sanctuary to meet in. [These people] were listening to the same guy tell [them] about Jesus, but now it’s from the pulpit. The Gospel broke through to people. I had been telling people about Jesus for 10 years, [and] now we are meeting every Sunday, worshiping together, listening to the Word together in a physical place. I realized something about a church
gathering made all the difference. So place matters. We’re not trying to serve Polk County. We’re trying to serve the Parker Street neighborhood and North Lake Wire neighborhood. [It is] specific in a location and then strategic in how we interact with people. With the afterschool program, the kids are enrolled, the parents have made a personal commitment to have their kids there. Summer camp is another program the kids in the neighborhood love. Parents know those are two programs they can count on. Those are highly academic with a Gospel piece throughout the whole thing. We’re really trying to bridge that educational gap that is consistent in neighborhoods like ours with the statement that everybody has divine value, meaning they’re creatures created in the image of God. His plan was life and life abundant.
These medical professionals are some of the many who make a lasting impact through tireless dedication to their expertise, and most importantly, to every patient they work with.
WRITTEN BY RJ WALTERS
PHOTOS BY JORDAN RANDALL, ALLIE BRINTON, AND MADI ELIZABETH DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Dr. Devashis Mitra Rheumatology
Central Florida Health Care
People might vaguely understand Central Florida Health Care’s mission to provide care for all, but it takes getting to know renowned medical experts like Dr. Devashis Mitra, architect of CFHC’s rheumatology department, to understand how a personal passion for the work truly puts patients at the center of their mission.
He could be focused on a care-free (and well-deserved) chapter called retirement with his wife Neelam after a career that included: six and a half years of training at the world-famous Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, England—where he earned a PhD in rheumatology—a leading academic role at the Medical University of South Carolina and an extremely successful run of 24 years at his private practice in Pittsburgh that he had grown to 20,000+ patients. Instead, he is fueled to see all people find help and healing in the local community, something that beckons him back to growing up in Central India where he attended medical school and worked in a state-run hospital.
Dr. Mitra’s uncle was a physician, and he vividly remembers the day he saw a stethoscope swinging from his hands.
“He put it in my ear and he put it on his chest, and I would listen to his heartbeat and I was fascinated,” he recalls. “And then, when I was in kindergarten the principal asked me my name and I said, ‘Dr. Mitra,’ and he started laughing and said, ‘I want to see if you keep saying that over the years,’ and that never changed.”
He originally saw himself becoming a cardiologist, but that shifted when he spent three months with a former classmate of his uncle’s, Dr. Joshi, who at the time was only one of four rheumatologists in all of India. He spent as many as 15 hours a day shadowing Dr. Joshi, soaking up all he could about musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. After a year, Dr. Joshi told him the natural next step would be attending the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, an institution that has pioneered
rheumatology since 1739 and ended up cementing Dr. Mitra’s career path.
He recalls that part of the “beauty of that training” was how people from all over the world came together to learn everything from clinical medicine to laboratory research to physical therapy, x-rays, orthotics and more.
“In India I [had] learned clinical rheumatology, and we would see patients, treat them and they would go home,” he says. “But now I knew how to write a prescription for physical therapy…and tell a therapist what I wanted for my patient or I could explain the design I wanted for orthotics (custom shoes, inserts, splints and braces.)”
Nearly four decades later, life circumstances and the desire for a change gave Dr. Mitra the opportunity to put years of research, patient outcomes, training, etc. into practice in a way that he believes God led him to.
After making the decision to close his practice in Pittsburgh, Dr. Mitra and Neelam went to India to spend time with her ailing mother. Twelve days into their visit she passed away peacefully.
“We laughed, we joked and she was in absolutely fantastic spirits, and then one morning she just left us. I was a little bit at a loss of what to do, and I started looking for part-time opportunities and one of the individuals who connected with me was from Pittsburgh, (Chief Human Resources Officer) Philip Kenney from Central Florida Health Care.”
Dr. Mitra connected deeply with CFHC’s mission, he saw the dedication and purpose-driven environment cultivated by leadership and he and his wife already had a vacation home in Parrish, just 45 minutes from Mulberry and South Lakeland.
“It seemed like a win-win situation, and I’m ecstatic about what Central Florida Health Care does,” he says.
He mentioned CFHC’s food distribution locations, back-to-school giveaways and numerous affordable or free preventive and primary care services as proof of the mission in action. The nonprofit that was founded in 1972 has also been adding specialties to broaden and
“When I was in kindergarten the principal asked me my name and I said, ‘Dr. Mitra,’ and he started laughing and said, ‘I want to see if you keep saying that over the years,’ and that never changed.”
improve the scope of its services at 17 health centers across Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. Included in that is rheumatology, endocrinology, podiatry, optometry and HIV/ HEP C Services.
In almost a year of serving the community at CFHC, Dr. Mitra has seen the power of helping people get access to life changing health care in the midst of financial, family and physical challenges.
He notes that one of the most complex aspects of longterm care isn’t the medicine itself—it’s navigating the maze of insurance billing and the often-inflated costs set by pharmaceutical companies. While Central Florida Health Care treats all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, what follows after a diagnosis or prescription can vary widely.
Sometimes a diagnosis is made or prescription is written and the patient can have their medication provided very inexpensively or for no charge at all at Central Florida Health Care’s pharmacies. Other times, the insurance authorization process can delay a patient getting medicine, but Central Florida Health Care always makes sure that if the first option is denied, the team is quick to prescribe another medication that will work. “There’s only so much Central Florida Health Care can absorb,” he says.
Dr. Mitra said he brought up that challenge earlier this summer at the Florida Society of Rheumatology Conference in Orlando in a room of professionals where research was being presented about new medications coming to market.
“I actually got up…and said, ‘You guys are coming up with a lot of these new medications and we can’t prescribe them because no insurances are covering the new medication.’ The whole room started chiming in because what’s the point in having a new medication that patients can’t get?”
Dr. Mitra said what gives him hope is that CFHC staff see themselves as patient advocates, and the organization cultivates a culture of collaborative communication that proposes new solutions to ongoing challenges.
He credits his wife for the many valuable roles she has played for their family over the years that included bearing the majority of the parenting load early on, being an administrator at his private practice, while also managing her own business, a Kumon Math and Reading Center.
Inspired by his vision and commitment, both of his children, Akul and Sana, have elected to pursue careers in medicine, and are currently medical students in Kentucky.
While he envisions a few more adventures with his family and being able to take in a few more sunsets, he is just as compelled to serve more people through affordable and free health care than ever before.
“The goal is to put my head on the pillow at the end of the day with clear conscience and a satisfied smile and say, ‘God thank you. I made it and I did my best, the rest is in your hands.”
Inside a hybrid operating room that Dr. Andres Medina helped design and bring to life, cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeons work side by side to literally bring life to ailing hearts using a technique that Medina helped pioneer and that Dr. Mohammed Hassan and the CVT team use as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open heart surgery.
The doctors crossed paths earlier in their professional careers at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, and now the dynamic duo have built a program at Lakeland Regional Health that was recently awarded the distinctive and elusive three-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgery, placing LRH among the elite for heart bypass surgery in all of North America.
“A big component of our practice is that the surgeons, nursing staff and cardiology team are all a very cohesive group. If you come into the operating room there’s a very friendly environment of people…obviously it’s a high stress environment but having that kind of relationship with people really brings down the tension level and allows us to work better,” says Hassan, who has practiced Cardiothoracic Surgery since 2008 and joined Lakeland Regional Health in 2020.
Medina, who has been practicing in the field for 26 years, including more than 13 at LRH, left a faculty role at the University of Miami to come to Lakeland in part because he saw the hospital had the building blocks necessary to establish a cutting-edge program that could improve outcomes and positively change people’s lives.
“There is enthusiasm from the organization’s administration, which is not found everywhere,” he says. “They have been very receptive from the beginning to invest capital in the appropriate equipment and processes, especially in the beginning when we were building a hybrid OR that didn’t exist.”
At the University of Miami, Medina was one of two surgical investigators in the state of Florida who participated in a trial for what became the FDAapproved transfemoral aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery. In layman’s terms, TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces a diseased aortic valve with a new one made from biological tissue.
Dr. Medina performed the first TAVR procedure in Florida, and since then he has overseen more than 1,000 successful surgeries of that kind at LRH and also trained others in the industry to master the technique.
It’s no surprise to find out that in his early childhood Dr. Medina was always trying to fix things, tinkering with bikes and other odds and ends. His self-driven pursuit of medicine comes in part thanks to his grandfather being a pediatrician and growing up in Texas in the 1980s, a time period when the Texas Medical Center was developing incredible advancements in heart transplants and the science of cardiovascular care.
Dr. Andres Medina
CV Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery
Lakeland Regional Health
Dr. Mohammed Hassan
CV Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery
Lakeland Regional Health
Although Dr. Hassan’s journey began in his homeland of Egypt, his story is similar. His uncle was an orthopedic surgeon and he was always fascinated by the science and art of surgery.
“Then through volunteering I developed a specific interest in the heart,” he says. “I always felt that the heart had a special place among organs and I felt that kind of fit in with my personality.”
The camaraderie amongst the doctors is clear, and they both have their distinctive interests that fuel them to bring world class care and technology to Lakeland.
Medina loves being part of a growing health care community in a quickly developing region of the country, and he’s hungry to continue to build a team and processes that compares favorably with any CVT team in the county.
Dr. Hassan is especially interested in more minimally invasive valve and lung procedures his team can implement and learning as much as possible about new and more comprehensive treatments for patients suffering from heart failure.
“We want to integrate systems that continue to adapt to the new technologies that are coming out that provide us the ability to do more complex procedures that allow us to take care of sicker patients as we move on,” he says.
Hassan enjoys getting his heart rate up a bit playing tennis with his high school age son, and it’s also a joy for him to offer personal and professional guidance to his three daughters who are all enrolled in the pre-med program at University of South Florida.
Medina says his 17-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son keep him on his toes, and one of his favorite pastimes is fishing, which no surprise, is a gateway for him to use his “problem solver” mentality to contribute expertise to the cause of improving water quality throughout Florida.
“Growing up my brother and I always were thinking of how to fix things or take care of things, and so we always just tried to figure everything out, with my focus being a little more on science.”
“We want to integrate systems that continue to adapt to the new technologies that are coming out that provide us the ability to do more complex procedures that allow us to take care of sicker patients as we move on.”
- Dr. Hassan
With an aging population and increased prevalence of diseases, the demand for urology services has been escalating for decades.
Fortunately, Lakeland Regional Health has built, and continues to expand its team of experienced and empathetic professionals to help make gains in pivotal urology research and provide life-changing care that balances comprehensive care with efficiency.
When Dr. Graham Greene and his family moved here from Arkansas after he had spent more than a decade in the academic research side of the profession, then-CEO Elaine Thompson took him under her wing for a season and integrated him into an executive leadership role.
It was then, more than 15 years ago, that the Nova Scotia born Greene recognized the need to recruit and train physicians at LRH so that the urology department could really get back to being “more preventive health care and family medicine” versus most of the work being done in urgent care or emergency rooms.
With the vision that Greene credits initially being brought to life by longtime LRH urologist Dr. Matt Smith, LRH grew from around 40 physicians to more than 400 in less than 10 years, and with that a greater
focus on specialty care doctors, such as urologists and urology oncologists, came to life.
During that time, Greene, alongside other leadership including CEO Danielle Drummond, created the blueprint for and ultimately received the support to build the third iteration of the Hollis Cancer Center. LRH now offers a bevy of cancer survivor resources and programs, an annual multidisciplinary symposium, and as of 2023, a Graduate Medical Education Program that is preparing future medical professionals for a lifetime of caring for patients and leading research.
“Our duty to the community is to take care of everybody and to train the health care team for the future,” Greene says. “We’re not just teaching them to be doctors and nurses, we are teaching them how to work together and understand that a nurse has a role, a doctor has a role, a resident has a role, a physical therapist has a role, etc. And we [work to figure out how to] integrate that efficiently, decrease costly things…and keep people home and healthy.”
As part of a veteran urology and urologic oncology team, Greene and his colleagues tackle everything from kidney stones and fertility planning to prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, to a wide variety of additional diseases and serious conditions.
Dr. David Bowers, Dr. Graham Greene, Dr. Alosh Madala, Dr. Rakesh Patel, Dr. Peter Hinds Urology/Urologic Oncology | Lakeland Regional Health
Dr. Rakesh Patel, who grew up and trained in India, and was inspired by seeing the difference his father made as a urologist, says the team is keenly aware of the mental and physical challenges their patients are going through.
He recalls working with an 83-year old male who was crippled with the inability to urinate for months, despite multiple urological procedures at other providers. The patient and family were understandably exhausted.
“By providing not only medical care but also offering emotional support to the patient and family, I was able to make their journey a little easier,” Patel says. “He is now able to not only [urinate] on his own but also has made a significant turn around overall. It was a turning point for me, realizing how healthcare is not just about physical treatment but also about being a source of comfort and strength.”
Dr. Alosh Madala, who focuses on minimally invasive robotic surgery and urologic reconstructive surgery, says “compassion is the key to healing.”
“My main priority is providing individualized, compassionate care to each patient. I will treat every patient with the same time, dedication and commitment that I would invest in those closest to me.”
Greene says part of creating a legacy at LRH that
includes improved outcomes and close-knit bonds between medical professionals and patients is getting more specialists to stay in Lakeland for the long haul and offering more holistic care options throughout a person’s life to reduce unnecessary visits.
Each member of the urology team brings his or her unique skills and perspective to the table. Dr. Peter Hinds helps patients who are fighting cancer of the genitourinary tract and he is also a bioengineer at heart who loves to help develop new medical devices.
An early childhood memory from the ER sticks with him still. “I had to go to the ER to have a fish bone removed from the back of my throat, and it was a very smooth experience.”
Dr. David Bowers has extensive experience in general urology and is highly trained as a robotic surgeon. He treats conditions such as kidney stones, erectile dysfunction and prostate disorders.
He started his medical journey as a Special Forces medic, and together with Dr. James Wilson, he was the first doctor in Florida to perform Robotic Radical Cystectomies.
“Becoming a physician was a lifelong goal for me,” he says. “I appreciate the challenge of treating different conditions.”
Dr.
Manuel Alberto Molina-Vega and Dr. Kelly Koch know the complex and lengthy names of countless types of cancers and diseases, but the most important names to them are of the patients they passionately serve, who are often on uncertain and scary paths involving cancer.
At Lakeland Regional Health, the surgical oncology team is led by Molina-Vega’s and Koch’s complementary expertise and embodies a human-centered approach where the team is very sensitive to its role and committed to doing everything it can to improve outcomes.
“What drives me to keep doing this 24/7 is to…take a tumor out, put everything back together and help patients feel well,” Dr. Molina-Vega says.
He initially took a liking to the medical field when was fascinated as a teenager by what he was learning in his high school science class, and now he is an 18-year veteran in surgical oncology, 16 of which he has served patients at LRH.
He was initially drawn to Lakeland by the sheer volume of patients it served in its emergency room and the evident need for more specialized cancer care doctors in the community. Having come from an academic background at the University of Miami, he aimed to continue his research in GI cancer, but what kept him in Lakeland was the palpable sense of community and the opportunity to build something truly special.
“I really felt that I was helping the community that needed it,” he reflects “And once people started to realize what we have here in the [Hollis Cancer Center] it made it easy to recruit.”
It’s no surprise to Dr. Molina-Vega that Hollis Cancer Center, which opened in 2003, was named one of 24 oncology programs in the country to earn the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer, because its foundation was built by a team of founders who came from major cancer centers from around the United States with a multidisciplinary mindset.
Dr. Koch, who is approaching two-year anniversary at LRH, chose Lakeland for a compelling reason that mirrored Dr. Molina-Vega’s when he chose to become a Lakelander: the opportunity to make a significant impact. Having trained in the large metropolitan setting of Jackson Memorial Hospital Miami, she sought an environment where her contributions would truly resonate.
“Coming to be the second person [at LRH] doing what I did felt like I had a lot more to add,” she explains. Her path to oncology surgery was an evolution, shifting from a focus on cardiac surgery due to what she calls “her enjoyment of abdominal procedures” and a desire for more enduring patient relationships.
Dr. Manuel Alberto Molina-Vega
Surgical Oncology
Lakeland Regional Health
Dr. Kelly Koch
Surgical Oncology
Lakeland Regional Health
“It is really amazing how much of your body is redundant and how much you can live without,” she says. “And you put a tumor just dropped in the middle of the abdomen and you’re given a challenge of how to get that out, and then how to repurpose different parts of the abdomen so that all of the daily functions, or at least enough of them can be rebuilt so that you can live your life without the tumor and whatever was touching it.”
She finds deep satisfaction in both curative and palliative care, recognizing the profound privilege of guiding patients through critical moments in their lives, whether assisting in recovery or providing comfort at the end of life.
Dr. Molina-Vega was ecstatic to have Dr. Koch join the ranks with him a couple of years ago, the latest expansion for a department that is focused on constantly learning and innovating.
Over the years, the surgical oncology team has initiated multidisciplinary conferences for complex cases, fostering crucial collaboration with interventional radiology, a group that has since become a regional leader.
The integration of dedicated support staff further distinguishes their patient-centered model. Thomasina Alvarez, a former PACU nurse, now serves as a patient navigator, providing direct access and expediting appointments with other oncology specialists. Jamie Sites is an experienced social worker who screens for and addresses patient barriers such as transportation or insurance.
Clinical trial personnel pre-screen patients for access to cutting-edge research. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by GI cancer patients, the team implemented early nutrition screenings and dietitian referrals, alongside preconditioning and pre-rehabilitation programs.
This holistic approach ensures patients are optimally prepared for treatment and recovery.
Speaking about LRH’s personalized approach, Dr. MolinaVega says, “We know them by their first name.”
He points to LRH’s high patient volume and participation in major multi-institutional trials, alongside renowned institutions like Moffitt and UF, as testaments to their quality and outcomes. LRH was even a pioneer in robotic surgery before many larger centers, consistently offering the latest advancements and minimally invasive techniques.
As Dr. Koch aptly puts it, “If you see one of us, you see both of us,” highlighting the seamless collaboration that combines Dr. Molina-Vega’s extensive experience with Dr. Koch’s fresh perspective and enthusiasm. Both doctors offer profound insights into understanding the root causes of cancer and how to prevent it.
Dr. Koch often addresses the patient’s common question, “What did I do wrong?” by emphasizing that cancer is multifactorial—a complex interplay of genetics, environmental factors, and sometimes, simply bad luck. Her hope is to release guilt and focus on moving forward with treatment, knowing that even with the best efforts, cancer can still occur. Dr. Molina-Vega stresses the importance of not ignoring symptoms and seeking professional help rather than self-diagnosing online. He advocates for lifestyle changes—cessation of smoking and excessive drinking, regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight. He also underscores the critical role of regular screenings, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, and genetic testing when family history suggests a predisposition.
“What drives me to keep doing this 24/7 is to…take a tumor out, put everything back together and help patients feel well.”
- Dr. Molina-Vega
Dr. Leonard Gitter
Oncology/Hematology
Watson
Clinic
Depending on where he is, you may see Dr. Leonard Gitter in his medical coat, a t-shirt or even a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey.
But no matter where Dr. Gitter is, a quick glance at his right wrist reveals a simple bracelet bearing a Jewish symbol: the word Chai, which means “life” or “to live.” It’s a deeply meaningful word—both personally and professionally—for the Oncology-Hematology doctor, who has been caring for patients at Watson Clinic for nearly six years
If you try to pinpoint Dr. Gitter’s upbringing based on his accent, good luck. He was born in Ukraine, attended high school in New York and spent several years at a highly renowned medical school in Israel. He speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew and English.
If you try to pinpoint why Dr. Gitter loves medicine and the opportunity to continually make a difference in the lives of individuals facing challenging diagnoses, the answer is much more clear.
By the age of seven, Dr. Gitter knew he wanted to be a doctor, and that dream really solidified when as a young teen he volunteered at Coney Island Hospital (since re-branded South Brooklyn Health). Fast forward to his residency at the now-shuttered St. Vincent’s Hospital
in Greenwich Village and one moment stands out as a catalyst for his lifelong commitment to what he calls giving patients “a piece of his heart and mind.”
He noticed a patient who was about to be discharged had a concerningly low platelet count, and he immediately contacted his supervisor even though it was nearly time for a shift change.
It turned out the patient was suffering from acute leukemia. Over the course of the next few hours the medical team performed a blood transfusion and the patient even began chemotherapy.
“From that point forward, I knew that I wanted to be in this line of work, and even though there can be a lot of pressure, I thrive in that environment,” he said.
He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University before continuing his medical education.
He and his team at Watson Clinic handle everything from diagnosing and treating blood disorders, various cancers, and high-risk GI issues to performing stem cell and bone marrow transplants.
Collectively Dr. Gitter and his team are able to draw on their experiences to learn about a myriad of diseases, how these diseases behave and the various treatment options they can employ to target them.
“I try to simply focus on living every day because I know that’s what he would want me to do.”
- Dr. Gitter, remembering his late son, Adam
He acknowledges his career choice is really a 24/7 job, and he spends a lot of time reading studies, attending national healthcare conferences, and engaging in additional activities to expand his knowledge and skillset.
“I tell my patients that what they see during an appointment is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the iceberg is submerged in water where you can’t see it,” he said. “We have a dedicated team of RN’s, social workers and others diligently working on behalf of each patient.”
He expressed deep gratitude for his colleagues at Watson Clinic, specifically naming General Surgeons and Surgical Oncologists Dr. Dany Barrak and Dr. Thomas Moskal, Breast Surgeon Dr. Elisabeth Dupont, OncologistHematologist Dr. Shalini Mulaparthi and Radiation Oncologist Dr. David Graham.
“At the Watson Clinic Cancer & Research Center,” he said, “we all work as a team.”
He acknowledges that sometimes people have to wait longer than they would like for an appointment, but that is sometimes a side effect of providing comprehensive care and service to every patient.
“If you see two ice cream trucks and one has a really short line and one has a long line, which one would you rather go to?” he says with a smile.
Dr. Gitter says he wants to continue to build his legacy of being a caring, compassionate doctor—and a sudden personal loss he experienced last year has even amplified that sentiment.
In March 2024, his 6-year-old son Adam passed away unexpectedly following a bout with a short viral infection.
“He was my heart and soul. This loss shook me at my core. It was completely unexpected,” he said, noting that his son loved Disney, playing soccer, reading and going to Lightning hockey games with his dad.
He said he doesn’t see himself ever completely getting over the loss of Adam, but it has given him deeper empathy for what some patients are walking through and also motivated him to become a better person and man.
“I try to simply focus on living every day because I know that’s what he would want me to do,” a tearful Gitter said, looking down at the bracelet a close friend gave him.
Dr. Pranay Patel
Otolaryngology /Facial Plastic Surgery
Watson Clinic
Dr.Pranay Patel is truly a man who cares deeply about form and function.
As an otolaryngology (ENT) and facial plastic surgery specialist at Watson Clinic for more than 25 years he has made a tangible difference in the lives of countless patients. He’s achieved this by staying upto-date on cutting edge research and technology and being uniquely comfortable in what he calls the “fastpaced, intense, and deeply meaningful” work of being a surgeon.
The father to two committed himself long ago to the arduous and winding journey of becoming a top flight medical professional. His path included earning his doctorate at the Baylor College of Medicine, a stint at Oxford University in England, a research fellowship in surgical endocrinology at Louisiana State University and a residency in otolaryngology at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
When the medical director of Watson Clinic reached out to him in 1998 about an opportunity to join the practice in Lakeland, Dr. Patel saw it as a chance to become part of an emerging leader in Central Florida’s evolving healthcare landscape. Today, he remains proud to practice within an organization where he says everyone works diligently to coordinate and communicate in a manner that consistently leads to positive patient outcomes.
His wide-ranging areas of expertise include facial plastic and reconstructive procedures, cancer surgery, cosmetic enhancement treatments and a number of other surgeries.
The most memorable experiences of his career have involved his interactions with patients who are facing some of the most profound challenges of their lives.
Daniel Cline is one example. Nearly a decade ago, he was diagnosed with advanced stage IV base of tongue cancer, which carries a very low survival rate.
As with every patient, Dr. Patel developed a personalized care plan to attack the cancer and give Daniel’s body the best chance to heal.
Daniel, who worked for Publix for 46 years, including as a district manager, first met Dr. Patel in October 2015. During that initial meeting, Dr. Patel revealed the cancer diagnosis to Daniel and his wife, Sheri.
Daniel and his family were rocked by the diagnosis and aggressive treatments that followed. He lost more than 75 pounds during intensive chemotherapy and radiation, medication regimens and the use of a peg tube to feed himself.
Through it all, Cline regarded Dr. Patel as a stellar guide and confidant.
“The enduring connection with him and his encouragement and just knowing he was involved in my care gave Sheri and I a peace in the fact we had a very talented individual keeping up with it all,” Cline says. “I come back three times a year for checkups and I always
look forward to seeing Dr. Patel. Even though he broke the worst news of my life to Sheri and I…having him work with us was just such a pleasure.”
Dr. Patel said he vividly remembers Daniel’s determination to “power through the treatment,” and how he barely missed any work as he leaned on his family and the medical team to guide him.
Daniel, now 65 years old, remains cancer free. His experience serves as a real-world example of how a doctor’s ability to listen and empathize are crucial components to delivering exceptional care that makes a difference.
These are qualities Dr. Patel is striving to pass along to his older son, Devin, who recently completed medical school at the University of Florida.
His younger son Dillan, who practices corporate law in Houston, is also not immune to the morsels of advice that stem from his father’s many years as a medical professional. They include learning to “love the process,” taking care of yourself and understanding the power of your words.
“You have to learn to listen, learn to explain, learn to spend extra time with someone who is afraid or in grief—that’s truly the essence of medicine,” he says.
That perspective guides how Dr. Patel and his team approach patient care, especially when helping patients recover and reclaim their sense of self after trauma or illness. He emphasizes collaboration, thoughtful communication, and respect for each patient’s journey.
In his spare time, Dr. Patel is a devout Texas Longhorns college football fan and enjoys golfing and exploring new places with his family. He attributes his career longevity to the people around him—his wife, Tina, his parents, and a dedicated medical team that shares his values.
“Stress always seems to be a constant, particularly in operating rooms where the margins for error are so thin. So having the right people around you, both at home and at work, makes it possible to stay grounded and keep perspective.”
“You have to learn to listen, learn to explain, learn to spend extra time with someone who is afraid or in grief—that’s truly the essence of medicine.”
Dr. Tarek Garas Urogynecology/Obstetrics/Gynecology
Watson Clinic
Dr.Tarek Garas comes from a distinguished lineage of physicians, a heritage deeply rooted in legacy and purpose. From a young age, his mother often told him she believed that he would one day become a doctor—a vision spoken not merely as a hope, but as a conviction.
During his years in medical school, Dr. Garas earnestly sought direction for his specialty not only through study and science but through prayer and Scripture. In a moment of reflection he opened the Bible, and his eyes fell upon a verse that changed his life forever. That passage resonated deeply within him, and it affirmed the quiet certainty his mother had always spoken—that he was called to bring life into the world, to deliver babies and to care for women.
Thankfully for Watson Clinic and thousands of patients, Dr. Garas has served as an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Urogynecologist & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgeon for the past 23 years. What began as a maternal prophecy became a sacred calling, one confirmed by faith and fulfilled through the art of medicine.
Following his residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, he had several offers on the table. Having previously lived in Boston, Omaha, Denver and Miami,
Dr. Garas and his wife, Marianne, had many cities that welcomed them back, but they felt led to Lakeland and Watson Clinic.
“My predecessors built a fantastic practice that was and continues to be very-patient focused,” he says.
He aims to employ an empathetic approach with patients, and he says that begins with clear communication, however long that takes in the exam room. Dr. Garas says his goal is always to make a patient feel as though they are his only patient, staying with them until every question is answered, regardless of the time.
“My patients know although I may be late, they’ll have my full attention for as long as they need,” he says with a smile and laugh.
He also is proud to say his hand-picked staff embodies that attitude and is adept at finding ways to fit in unexpected patients and serve them more comprehensively. He lauds that his team is well trained, kind and professional.
To articulate the options and possible outcomes for patients, Dr. Garas invests time into learning the latest advancements in everything from hormone replacement therapies to reconstructive and robotic surgeries. He and his team are constantly looking for ways to improve outcomes, shorten healing time, reduce scarring and improve quality of life.
“I’m always seeking new treatments and opportunities, so that my patients with complex urinary issues, for example, do not have to travel to Jacksonville or Miami for advanced therapies. They get to stay here at home.”
Marianne said one of the joys for their family, which includes the couple’s three daughters, has been to see her husband work with the same patients and families at different stages of life across generations.
Working to provide the best outcomes for every patient means Dr. Garas and his team are always seeking to learn more. They strive to understand what patients experience and how to care for them better.
The road has not always been easy—coming from immigrant parents to almost losing his life from COVID-19, Dr. Garas has learned that life is not without struggles. Each patient carries with them a story and deep history that is relevant to their current medical needs, and perhaps that is why some appointments with him last so long.
“When I was trying to recover from COVID-19, I was asking questions that nobody really knew the answer to. I found it very difficult,” he says. “So when someone is willing to put their spouse or themselves under my care, I value that trust tremendously. Hopefully my passion to communicate with them and answer all of their questions reveals how much I care.”
Dr. Garas’ three daughters have caught the vision that their father exemplifies, as they are pursuing medical school, pharmacy school, and science classes at Florida Southern College. He’s proud and wants them to learn, “It’s all about caring for souls; it’s all about caring for people. Find God’s purpose in everything you do; be able to stand firm in who you are and what you believe, even in an ever-changing world. We are here to serve each other.”
Marianne’s advice to her eldest daughter, who is currently pursuing her interests in Obstetrics and Gynecology is to “Keep your eyes on your father, humbly learn everything you can from him, receive his mantle, because he’s excellent at what he does.”
Though the journey has often required sacrifice for the entire family—including late night surgeries or on-call appointments at all hours—it has been worth it to them.
“The greatest reward in life is not measured in accolades or titles, but in fulfilling one’s purpose. For me, that purpose reveals itself in the most ordinary, beautiful moments—at Publix, or sitting in a local restaurant, when a woman approaches me with gratitude in her eyes, recounting how his care profoundly touched her life,”
Marianne says about her husband. “Or when a nearby family leans over and joyfully says, ‘He delivered all of our children,’ it causes me to pause and say ‘Thank you, Lord. It was all worth it’.”
When asked “What’s next?” Dr. Garas smiles and says, “Well, there’s no retirement in the Bible, so retirement was never the goal. As long as I have the capability to serve, that’s where you’ll find me. I love what I do with a passion, there’s no other specialty. It’s the best profession in the world!”
“ ...when a nearby family leans over and joyfully says, ‘He delivered all of our children,’ it causes me to pause and say ‘Thank you, Lord. It was all worth it’.”
“Behind the scenes, our officers face trauma every day. This memorial reminds us that our families carry that weight too. We owe it to them to remember.”
- Asst. Chief Steve Pacheco
Lakeland, service is more than a job. It’s a legacy. Through stories of resilience, leadership, and remembrance, the Lakeland Police Department reveals a family bonded not just by duty, but by shared purpose.
To most, the badge represents law and order. But inside the Lakeland Police Department, it also signifies something deeper: commitment, sacrifice and a resilient family that shows up for one another—both in uniform and in life.
Ask Sergeant Chad Mumbauer what it means to serve, and you’ll get more than a job description. You’ll hear the story of a man who’s battled brain cancer three times—once while undergoing surgery awake—and who still chooses to report for duty with hope and humility.
“I always wanted to be a real American Hero like the GI Joe Cartoons to someone,” Chad says. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he joined LPD in 1995, driven by a calling to protect and connect with others. But nothing prepared him for what lay ahead.
In 2011, Chad was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Five blood clots in his lungs landed him in the hospital: an accident that, in hindsight, may have saved his life. Just weeks later, he underwent his first brain surgery. “My family didn’t know how I’d function when I woke up,” he recalls.
But function he did. And then some.
When cancer returned in 2015, he endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy. In 2020, it struck again requiring another surgery, this time at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Through each trial, Chad leaned on his colleagues at LPD, describing the support as something “you can’t duplicate or replicate.” Officers visited. They checked in. They showed up.
“People think of us as robots, but we have families. We go through real things,” he says. “The job is difficult enough— when you’re coming to work on the heels of trauma, you find out who you really are.”
Now in remission, Chad serves in the Special Operations division. He continues to give death notifications, respond to crises and mentor those grappling with personal hardships. His trials have made him more empathetic, more grounded. “I found a new gift, a voice to speak into others’ pain. We value life differently in this profession.”
His strength hasn’t gone unnoticed. Former Chief of Police Ruben Garcia, worked and trained alongside Chad in many capacities, including the S.W.A.T. team. He shared, “Chad has become an icon in the tactical community: a true survivor, a warrior and a role model of hope.”
And through it all, Chad has found new joy in everyday things, from getting out of bed to breathing deeply to getting back out to serve the community he loves. He speaks at colleges and high schools about what he calls “the power of one”—how one small act of kindness can ripple out into something bigger. That same heart beats in Assistant Chief Steve Pacheco, who is set to retire this year after more than four decades in law enforcement. His path wasn’t always clear. He originally trained to become a carpenter, but a friend’s encouragement led him into corrections at just 19 years old. By 1987, he had joined the Lakeland Police Department and began a journey that would shape generations.
“I think this is a great career,” Pacheco says. “There are so many unseen ways we help people. And if I can use my experience to help even one person, it’s all worth it.”
Pacheco doesn’t just speak about mental health and resilience— he lives it. After losing his second wife to suicide in 2007, he nearly left the profession altogether. It was the support of his family, his colleagues and professional counseling that carried him forward.
Today, he teaches a mental health and wellness course for all incoming officers. He’s also deeply involved in the Lakeland Police Foundation, which offers aid to officers and their families facing medical or personal crises, like Sgt. Mumbauer.
Perhaps one of his greatest legacies is bringing to life the Lakeland Police Fallen Heroes Memorial, which he helped start in 2017 alongside other department leaders. The memorial honors the seven officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the city of Lakeland. A bronze honor guard sculpture and illuminated glass badge stand watch over etched plaques, each telling a story of valor and love.
“It’s sacred ground,” Pacheco says. “Behind the scenes, our officers face trauma every day. This memorial reminds us that our families carry that weight too. We owe it to them to remember.”
The department’s commitment to supporting its own extends far beyond the front lines. From the Police Explorer program that mentors teens, to funding for retired K-9s, to appreciation luncheons for retired officers, LPD’s foundation ensures no member is forgotten.
That familial spirit is what continues to define the culture at LPD. Officers describe each other as brothers and sisters, not just colleagues. Whether it’s rallying around a coworker battling illness or carrying on the legacy of a fallen friend, they do it together.
For Sgt. Mumbauer and Assistant Chief Pacheco, the badge has never been about power—it’s been about people. And as both men look toward their next chapter, they leave behind more than just years of service. They leave behind hope, example, and a department shaped by their quiet strength.
As Chad puts it, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In Lakeland, that change is already happening — one badge, one story, one act of service at a time.
“People think of us as robots, but we have families. We go through real things.”
- Sgt. Chad Mumbauer
Dedicated in March 2017, the Lakeland Police Fallen Heroes Memorial is a permanent monument that serves as a tribute to Lakeland’s fallen officers who paid the ultimate price while serving the citizens of Lakeland.
The Memorial is a beautiful site that honors Lakeland’s fallen officers:
For information on how you can donate to and support the Lakeland Police Foundation’s impactful initiatives, please visit: lakelandpolicefoundation.com
President Jimmy Carter is greeted by Lakeland, Florida mayor Carrie Oldham as he arrives at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport for a campaign appearance in the city.
Courtesy of the Lakeland Public Library
Mayor Carrie Oldham Greet President Jimmy Carter
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