Spine Talk

The world-class spine surgery skills of Dr. Theodore Belanger will be evident for the world to observe this week when the Texas Back Institute surgeon performs two, extremely challenging surgical procedures on two young people who have been transported from Ethiopia. The two patients, who have allowed us to share their names and medical histories, arrived in the Dallas area on October 22, 2015, and will undergo their respective surgeries the following week. Because of the generosity of The Medical Center of Plano and Texas Back Institute, these very complicated and costly procedures along with the 3-month recuperation will be completed at no charge to the two patients. In a recent interview, Dr. Belanger, shared his reason for taking on these operations. “I had some friends and colleagues working with patients in Ethiopia and I had always wanted to give back to patients who do not have the kind of access to the expertise and facilities that we take for granted in America,” he said. “Through these friends, I