{"id":389,"date":"2022-12-03T18:11:25","date_gmt":"2022-12-03T18:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/?page_id=389"},"modified":"2022-12-03T18:19:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T18:19:18","slug":"testimonials-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/testimonials-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Testimonials 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"389\" class=\"elementor elementor-389\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-10284ce elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"10284ce\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-deddb5a\" data-id=\"deddb5a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fab4965 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"fab4965\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.8.1 - 13-11-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"260\" height=\"70\" src=\"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/logo_cbsnews.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d92ffb8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d92ffb8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.8.1 - 13-11-2022 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Extreme Vacation: Surgery Safari<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ceb39e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ceb39e2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.8.1 - 13-11-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#818a91;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#818a91;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bodytext\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-391 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cbselephants-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cbselephants-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cbselephants.jpg 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>(CBS) Even under ordinary circumstances, an African safari is the journey of a lifetime. But Colleen Hiltbrunner, 53, has a special reason to hope her African adventure will transform her life forever.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cThe opportunity to see the animals in their natural habitat. To go where man originated, and at the same time, get the plastic surgery I need at a bargain rate is just fantastic,\u201d says Hiltbrunner.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">It\u2019s the package deal of her dreams. Call it an \u201cextreme\u201d vacation, but as Correspondent Troy Roberts reports, Hiltbrunner is about to combine a safari with a nip-and-tuck \u2013- 10,000 miles away from her home in Colorado Springs.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Hiltbrunner admits that she\u2019s a bit apprehensive. \u201cI have a lot of relatives who think I\u2019m crazy to be doing this,\u201d she says. \u201cThey say, \u2018What happens, you\u2019re over there at a long distance. You know, what if something goes wrong or <br \/>whatever?\u2019\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">It all started with a search on the Internet. Her husband Don admits that at first, the idea sounded a little strange.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">However, for Hiltbrunner, this trip is much more than a matter of vanity. It\u2019s a chance to finally leave behind years of health problems &#8211; and a dramatic weight gain of 100 pounds.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cI was pretty much a social hermit,\u201d says Hiltbrunner. \u201cI didn\u2019t go to social functions with my husband, and there were occasions for my son that I missed because I felt my appearance would be embarrassing. I was not a happy person.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Now, she\u2019s hoping to shed some extra skin \u2013 and has signed up for an eye lift, a facelift, an armlift, and the same procedure for her thighs.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">It\u2019s been two years since Hiltbrunner first e-mailed \u201cSurgeon and Safari,\u201d a South African based company that promotes medical tourism.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">But the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery warns that it\u2019s difficult to check the credentials of foreign doctors. Plus, follow-up care could also be problematic.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">How can Hiltbrunner be confident that her surgeon will be competent enough to perform this type of surgery? \u201cI think that I have done the research,\u201d says Hiltbrunner. \u201cI would say with anyone, any surgery is a little bit of a leap of faith.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">So now, with enough money put aside after refinancing their home, Colleen and Don Hiltbrunner embark on the honeymoon they never had.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cWhat she\u2019s seeking and what we\u2019re all hoping the outcome would be, would be her true happiness, is what we\u2019re hoping,\u201d says Don Hiltbrunner.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">At the Johannesburg airport, the Hiltbrunners are met by Surgeon and Safari founder Lorraine Melvill, and escorted to their five-star hotel.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">This five-year-old company has evolved into a multi-million dollar business that\u2019s a boon to the struggling South African economy. And while we\u2019ve all heard horror stories about Americans undergoing cheap plastic surgery abroad, Melvill insists her surgeons are a bargain only because of her country\u2019s weak currency.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cI think the quality of our medical profession is far superior,\u201d says Melvill. \u201cI think we have some of the best-qualified surgeons in the world.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Plus, patients will be able to see some of the world\u2019s best scenery. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019d never thought I\u2019d be able to do,\u201d says Hiltbrunner. \u201cNow that we\u2019re actually here, it\u2019s overwhelming.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">After traveling on safari for the last two days, Hiltbrunner\u2019s most dangerous African adventure awaits at the Johannesburg hospital where she\u2019ll undergo her cosmetic procedures.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Surgeon Dr. Rick Van der Poel has already decided not to operate on Hiltbrunner\u2019s thighs because it would be too risky for her to undergo so much surgery at once.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cOne of our biggest problems is the fact that the patient has traveled a long way,\u201d says Van der Poel. \u201cThey can get what they call an economy-class syndrome. We do all the blood tests, there\u2019s a screening test, you can see for clots in the legs.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Vanderpoel has also assured Hiltbrunner that the hospital\u2019s blood supply has been screened for the AIDS virus. So Hiltbrunner undergoes six hours of surgery on her face, eyes and arms.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">The Hiltbrunners estimate their African adventure has cost them about $20,000 in all &#8212; $13,000 of that for the surgery. They easily could have spent at least $30,000 in the United States, for the surgery alone.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Hiltbrunner\u2019s recovery at her luxury hotel goes smoothly. And just 10 days after surgery, the couple travels home<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">Two months later, Hiltbrunner attends her son, Sean\u2019s wedding. And the verdict is unanimous. While to the average eye, the results may seem subtle, to Colleen, the surgery\u2019s made a world of difference.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cWhile it\u2019s not a Jennifer Anniston arm, compared to what I had before, for a 53-year-old woman, I\u2019ll be pleased with it. And I\u2019m glad I had it done,\u201d says Hiltbrunner.<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cHer whole outlook on life has greatly changed,\u201d adds her husband, Don. \u201cShe just radiates.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"bodytext\">\u201cI had kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I took advantage of it,\u201d says Hiltbrunner. \u201cAnd I\u2019m very glad I did.\u201d \u00a9 MMIV, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Extreme Vacation: Surgery Safari (CBS) Even under ordinary circumstances, an African safari is the journey of a lifetime. But Colleen Hiltbrunner, 53, has a special reason to hope her African adventure will transform her life forever. \u201cThe opportunity to see the animals in their natural habitat. To go where man originated, and at the same [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-389","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgeon-and-safari.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}