Our Veterinarians

Dr. Heflin’s interest in veterinary medicine began during high school, when his show steer was injured and needed to see the local veterinarian. He thought it looked like a rewarding job, and by the time he entered pre-vet curriculum at Texas A&M University, he knew his hunch was right!

David grew up in McAllen, Texas and moved to Nederland while in junior high. After earning his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1981, he purchased Mission Veterinary Hospital in 1988. It has since grown from a one-doctor to a six-doctor practice! Each veterinarian has their own special area of expertise, allowing Mission Veterinary Hospital to provide clients with a large pool of knowledge and experience.

Dr. Heflin particularly loves performing ultrasounds, which he says is one of the most important diagnostic tools in the clinic’s arsenal. Nothing is more rewarding for him than discovering a problem before it can cause serious disease or spread to other parts of the body!

David and his wife, Laura, have three wonderful daughters: Jermaine, Katelyn, Tori and son-in-law Kaleb. They also share their home with three pets: Mandy, a 15-year-old Pointer, Chulo, a 4-year-old Pointer Mix, and Elvis, a 2-year-old Great Pyrenees. They also raise sheep for 4-H and FFA kids to show.

When he’s not at work, Dr. Heflin loves doing almost anything in the sunshine, including mountain biking, golfing, fishing, and hunting. He also loves to spend time with his family and friends.

Dr. deBruyn warned her parents in the first grade that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She would doctor up stuffed animals, and even dressed up the family dog for her skits! She followed her passion, and now is a co-owner and full-time veterinarian at Mission Veterinary Hospital.

Diane was born and raised in El Paso as the second of four children. She always had at least one dog and cat growing up, as well as hamster, a horse, rabbit, and pheasant through the years! When it came time for college, she chose the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, graduating with her Bachelor’s in 1989. She then received her DVM degree in 1992 from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

After school, Dr. deBruyn moved to Mission, where she fell in love with the weather, the people, and their pets. Her fate in Mission was sealed when she met her future husband! She began at Mission Veterinary Hospital in the summer of 1992, then became a partner in August of 2004.

Diane says she’s an introvert, so she’s rather surprised that what she enjoys most about her job is interacting with people. Every day, she meets someone with an amazing or inspiring story. Medically, she likes working on cats because they’re some of the most challenging patients to treat.

Dr. deBruyn lives in Mission with her husband, two children, four dogs, and a cat. She also has a mustang horse and several goats.

Michele says that becoming a veterinarian wasn’t really a conscious choice—it was more like a calling! She knew she was going to be a vet from the time she was three years old, and hasn’t looked back since. Now she’s a licensed veterinarian and the co-owner of Mission Veterinary Hospital!

Dr. Fuentes was born and raised in San Antonio with her two sisters. Her parents always supported her “dog habit,” and Michele decided to enroll in veterinary school. She completed her undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University, then stayed at A&M to receive her CVM veterinary degree, graduating in 1996. After interviewing all over Texas, she chose Mission Veterinary Hospital and has been here ever since!

As a vet, Michele loves working with patients as well as owners, and loves the joy in a pet owner’s face when they know their furry friend is better. Medically, she’s passionate about internal medicine and enjoys the testing and digging required to reach the solution to a problem.

Dr. Fuentes has three children: Sammy, Gabe, and Mia. The family also has two pets: Agatha and Athena, which are both four-year-old Boxers.

Michele says it’s quite the achievement to find free time to enjoy her hobbies, but when she can, she likes reading and jogging.

Dr. Michelle Kurkowski was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. From a young age she
knew she was going to be an “animal doctor” and it’s a passion that’s stuck ever
since! She received a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science at the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she discovered her other passion, public health.
She returned to Texas to complete her veterinary degree at Texas A&M. At the
recommendation of Dr. Lejeune (who was her roommate during veterinary school),
she interviewed at Mission during her last year of school. It felt meant to be, so she
made the trek down to the Valley to join the Mission Vet team!
Professionally, Dr. Kurkowski enjoys interacting with and educating clients,
especially when she can go back to her public health roots and talk about diseases
that pass between humans and animals. In addition to pets, she also loves
opportunities to work on large animals (especially goats!). In her opinion,
protecting the health of food animals helps protect the livelihood of the people who
raise them. For her, the most rewarding part of being a veterinarian is being able to
provide a practical service and peace of mind when a pet is sick.
Outside of the clinic, you can often find Dr. Kurkowski taking a dance class or going
out salsa dancing with friends. She enjoys traveling and has been able to use her
veterinary skills to serve in multiple countries. She also enjoys relaxing at home
with her tuxedo cat, Teddy (not pictured due to his severe social anxiety).

Cebrina was born and raised in Roma, TX. Dr. Cebrina Cavazos’ interest in veterinary medicine began at 11 years old, when she found a dog and nursed it back to health. Honey Bun became part of the Cavazos family, and spurred a captivation in animal health and welfare. When Dr. Cavazos combined her passion for animals with her love of science, a natural progression to veterinary medicine began.
She graduated high school in Roma and moved to Texas A&M University – College Station for both her undergraduate and DVM degrees. Cebrina first met the MVH team when she completed an externship during her last year of vet school. It was then when she knew she found a place where she could serve the community that she calls home. She joined Mission Veterinary Hospital in June 2019.
Cebrina met her fiancé, Jon Ray, at Texas A&M University. They live together in McAllen, TX and have four furry babies: Biscuit, a 7-year old Golden/Cocker mix, Savannah, a 13-year old lab mix, Roxy Pebbles, a 6-year old “All-American” brindle pupper, and Oreo, a 2-year old shepherd/lab mix.
When Cebrina has time to herself, she probably has a fist full of popcorn and Flaming Hot Cheetos watching movies and TV shows with her furry babies around. Her other hobbies include hitting the gym, hanging out with friends and family, traveling the globe, and falling asleep while listening to Jon Ray talk about the last book he read.