"Breaking the Silence" - Iowa Alumni Magazine

The young woman labors atop a desk inside a bullet-ridden school in Lukodi, Uganda. She's scared and in great pain-but her doctor remains steady. By the twin glow of a car's headlights, he sterilizes a pair of kindergarten scissors with flame from a match.

Neil Mandsager, 82MD, is as comfortable bringing this child into the world here as he is at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. He readies a bandana to tie the umbilical cord, surrenders to his trust in nature, and instructs his patient to push.
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