Longtime Lubbock medical professional to be honored by Rotary Club
Sixtus Z. Atabong, a Lubbock neurosurgery physician’s assistant and president/founder of Purpose Medical Mission, will be awarded the second Diekemper Service Above Self Award at the Rotary Club of Lubbock’s annual Diekemper Luncheon Wednesday, April 23 at the South Plains Food Bank, 5605 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The luncheon, honoring the late Ray and Lou Diekemper, will be for Rotary members and guests and raises funds for the food bank, according to a news release from the South Plains Food Bank.
Former Texas Tech football player and philanthropist Tony Bradford was awarded the first Diekemper Award last year.
“The Rotary Club of Lubbock has supported many different organizations and charitable efforts, with the main service project being the South Plains Food Bank, founded by fellow Rotarian Ray Diekemper in 1983,” said Jack Nelson, club president. The club has given the food bank close to $2 million since the 1980s.
Dina Jeffries, the food bank’s CEO, said, “We’re fortunate to have an amazing partnership with the Rotary Club of Lubbock. They have supported the food bank from the beginning and have donated more than $2 million over the past 40 years.”
Atabong came to the United States in 1995 from his native Cameroon in West Africa, overcoming significant cultural and financial challenges.
In 2000, he made Lubbock his home and attended Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center while working as a nursing assistant at Covenant Health System. He earned degrees in Clinical Laboratory Sciences (BS) and Physician Assistant Studies (MS), followed by a Doctorate from the University of Lynchburg and a certificate in Management Essentials from Harvard Business School.
With over 20 years of experience as a spine surgery Physician Assistant, Atabong currently serves as program director of the Grace Clinic Spine Care Center in Lubbock. His outstanding contributions to medicine and humanitarian service have been recognized nationally. He is a recipient of the American Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award, the TTUHSC Presidential Distinguished Alumni Award, the American Academy of Physician Assistants’ Service to the Underserved Award and was named the 2019 Texas Outstanding PA of the Year.
Atabong is also the acclaimed author of “My Father’s Gift,” a bestselling memoir that earned both the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award and the Nautilus Book Award. Through his writing and public speaking, he inspires others to pursue purposeful living, the American dream and racial harmony — drawing on a powerful personal journey rooted in faith, resilience, and service.
As founder and president of Purpose Medical Mission, leads a nonprofit organization dedicated to building self-sustaining, healthy communities in regions impacted by extreme poverty and limited access to healthcare and education. Since its founding in 2008, Purpose Medical Mission has conducted more than 30 medical missions, served more than 50,000 patients, and donated more than $5 million in medical equipment and supplies. The organization’s work spans countries including Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Jamaica and the United States.
In addition to providing direct patient care and life-changing surgeries, the mission trains local healthcare professionals and supports broader community needs such as nutrition, agriculture, clean water, and infrastructure development — investing in long-term solutions for health and independence.
Atabong lives in Lubbock with his wife, Kyu Mee Atabong, and their two sons. Together, they enjoy traveling and engaging with cultures around the world, continuing a life of service grounded in compassion and hope.
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