Got a Minute with Dr. William Overstreet III

How long have you been a physician?

I graduated from MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) in Charleston in 1989. I have been in Hendersonville for 12 years. I came here from Charleston, where I did my plastic surgery residency.

What led you to a career in medicine?

When I was a junior in high school, I thought it would be fun to be in sports medicine; then I thought it would be great to be a pediatrician because I really wanted to do cleft palate and cleft lip work, but I learned that they did not do that in pediatrics, so that's when I switched to plastic surgery.

What else do you like about plastic surgery?

In plastic surgery, you get to use your artistic skills — they (plastic surgeons) all draw, sculpt or paint. I grew up painting watercolors — (Claude) Monet is my favorite painter. But if I ever get the time, I'm going to learn to paint in oils. With plastic surgery, it's like your medium is skin instead of paper. I use a round handle scalpel with a flat blade because it feels more like a paint brush. Most surgeons use a flat handled scalpel.

You recently operated on a 15-year-old girl from the Philippines, Suzanne Aman, reconstructing her arm and constructing an ear from existing cartilage in her rib cage. How did the opportunity to do the surgery come about?

The Rotary Club sent me a letter and asked if I would be willing to see a patient from overseas. I said I would consider it, but I wanted to get some more information, so they e-mailed me some photos, I looked at them and I said yes.

How's she doing?

She's doing well. I would have liked to have gotten her some kind of hand function, but we couldn't do that with the amount of damage there was and the lack of development she had. Because her accident happened when she was an infant, she didn't have the chance to develop her hand function, that is, no muscles were there because they had never been used.

What happens next for Suzanne?

She has one more surgery for her ear construction. That will happen sometime in September.

What has this experience meant to you?

It's been great. Her family has been so grateful and it's just so refreshing to treat patients who are so thankful and grateful all the time. That's not to say that all patients are not that way, but just that this patient was so happy and thankful. And she never complained.

Do you think you will do more medical missions work?

It's hard because when you are in practice by yourself, you can't go off and leave for weeks at a time. I contacted the Billy Graham organization and asked them about it and they said when you go somewhere for a week, it takes a couple of days to get over the jet lag, and you do surgeries for two, maybe three days, and then you leave. It would really be better to be able to go somewhere for at least two weeks at a time or even three. But when you have a solo practice it means that when you're not here, you can't make any money to pay the bills and expenses are outrageous. But someday I would like to do it, maybe after I retire.

What do you like to do when you are not working?

I like to paint and I fly fish, I tie my own flies. I like to go to Mills River or Davidson River to fish and I've been up to the Nantahala (River) and that's so beautiful. There's a lot of fish up there, but it's a drive to get there. I also like to spend time with my family and I'm involved with my church, Mud Creek Baptist.

- Interview and photo by Leigh Kelley