Innocent

Bilateral Hip Replacement

Arusha, Tanzania 2023

Avascular Necrosis. A condition that causes the death of your bone tissue due to the lack of blood supply. Eventually, this leads to tiny cracks in the bone and if gone untreated it causes the bone to collapse.

Imagine you’re 28 years old. You’ve just gotten married, enjoying your job with a travel company, meeting people from around the world and sharing your country and customs with them. You find out you are going to be a father for the first time and life seems to be on the right path.

Then your mobility lessens, your hips begin to stiffen, and your world begins to shrink. Lifting luggage into the truck at work is no longer possible, being able to walk in your own home becomes limited. Then, just as your son is born, you no longer can stand on your own. Both hips are affected. Now, at age 30, things are no longer certain.

This was Innocent’s life. He couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, everything seemed dark. But his family and doctors rallied around him and told him about an opportunity to receive joint replacement surgery from Operation Walk.

It was a leap of faith. To restore his mobility, he would need both hips replaced and at the same time. It seemed he would have to learn to walk all over again. But Innocent took that leap. With his mother, father, and brother by his side, he had the surgery and went through the recovery period.

We’re excited to share his father’s note sent to our coordinator, Ava Baldwin, and the footage of him now. We’re so happy for Innocent and his family. One dream he shared with us was he longed to be able to play soccer with his son Nathan. Now that dream will come true.

“Hello Ava.

Praise the Lord. I got your message and feel joy all over my body. Innocent is doing fine with his baby and his wife as you can see in the clips. Please pass those clips to the donors and give them our appreciation for what they did for my son. He was crippled but now he can walk again, by himself, unaided.”

Joseph

Left Knee Replacement

Arusha, Tanzania 2023

When we met Joseph, he was withdrawn and nervous. He had spent his life overcoming obstacles. As a young man, he faced a band of thieves, was beaten, robbed, shot, and ultimately lost his arm during the confrontation. He lived alone on his small banana farm until he met a young lady who saw past what he considered his deformity. She saw his determination, his dedication to his land, and his heart. They raised a family of five children together and continued to farm until the years eventually wore down his left knee. For four years he struggled, not knowing what would become of his life’s work. He was hesitant to ask for help, to trust others to repair his failing knee. But with encouragement from his children and grandchildren, he took a chance on Operation Walk. Below is the latest update on his recovery.

“I will not forget that fearful night when I knew I was becoming weaker and weaker. This fear stayed with me each day for seven long years. I was afraid each footstep would be my last before I was going to be forever in a wheelchair. But then my life changed. I found out I was put on the screening list for Operation Walk, cleared for surgery and in just three short hours my life transformed before my eyes.

My life is full of new sunshine. I am back home again. Back to my small banana farm and milk cows. I am able to visit my friends in the nearby village and live my life again. Without fear and without pain.

I will keep you all in my heart. Your wonderful practice of giving people back their lives. I wish you blessings and blessings to your families too. 

From me and my family, thank you”.

Mike, Marilyn Dorr, and Dr. William Long received a grant from the Berns Team this past November

Alan Gutierrez RN and Joe Rangel at the Filipino Heritage Month Celebration at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

This past month, our volunteers had two opportunities to celebrate Filipino culture and share our mission to restore mobility along with our plans to return to the Philippines in 2024. 

In October in celebration of Filipino Heritage Month, volunteers Paulina Andujo RN, Alan Gutierrez RN, and Joe Rangel hosted an Operation Walk booth during the Filipino-American History Month Celebration at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. They were able to share how our organization restores both mobility and hope through joint replacement surgery.

In November, volunteers, Trish Lindsey RN, Mary Ellen Sieben RN, and Lisa Fujimoto Yamaguchi PA hosted a table highlighting Operation Walk Los Angeles and our upcoming mission to the Philippines and raised awareness of our mission at Keck Hospital. 

Volunteers Trish Lindsay RN, Mary Ellen Sieben RN, and Lisa Fujimoto Yamaguchi PA at the Filipino Heritage Celebration at Keck Hospital

It’s important to our volunteers and our organization to connect with our patients, their families, and their cultures. Through events like this, our team members can network with local members of the Filipino community.

Thank you volunteers for taking time out of your weekend to educate others about our organization and raise awareness about joint diseases and how replacement surgery can change people's lives.

Meet Sarina Parks, a student volunteer slated to travel with the Operation Walk Los Angeles team on their mission to the Philippines in 2024, and learn why volunteering with our organization is personal.

Introducing Student Volunteer, Sarina Parks

Why I want to volunteer with Operation Walk

“You have scoliosis” is what my pediatrician told me during my annual visit. Three simple words that filled me with great fear. As a thirteen-year old I had no idea how serious this condition was. I came home and started searching the internet,looking for pictures of scoliosis which made me even more anxious as I saw that the progression of the curvature of the spine could result in many complications, including a deformed back, muscle imbalance and pain, if left untreated. 

As I started to process what it meant to live with a progressive condition, I began to have scary thoughts about the future of my mobility. Would my scoliosis progress to the extent of what I saw on the internet and leave me with deformity and limited function? I was motivated to do anything I possibly could to slow down the progression. My pediatrician referred me to a specialist and I started physical therapy to strengthen my core muscles. I also decided to join my high school track team to continue conditioning my core and back muscles and stay ultra-mobile. To this day, I have not missed a single day of these strengthening exercises. I committed to training daily with my high school track coach, before and during track season. As a result of hard work, I have been able to share many race victories with my track relay team. Under close supervision of my doctor, I am happy to report that my scoliosis has progressed only minimally, and I am optimistic about the future, as long as I stay physically fit and strong.

As I have faced my own personal health challenge, I have become highly aware of the importance of good posture, physical fitness and taking preventative measures. This challenge has also given me the desire to share my knowledge and personal experience with others. As a part of my Girl Scout Gold Project this year, I plan to run educational workshops for 4^th and 5^th graders, to teach them about the importance of correct posture. I plan to also show them several simple stretch exercises to include in their daily routine to strengthen their core and back muscles. I chose to work with students who are in the preteen age group so that they learn the necessary skills before they are adolescents. The risk of poor posture is the highest during the adolescent years, due to growth spurts, use of electronic devices and heavy school backpacks. If the preteens learn these skills before they are teenagers, they can prevent a lot of injuries in the future.

In addition to my desire to share my knowledge, I also hope to volunteer in a capacity where I can have a direct impact on someone’s mobility. As a teenager with no clinical skills, I was not sure if this was possible until I saw my dad’s pictures from his recent medical mission trip in Tanzania with Operation Walk. I was inspired when I saw that so many volunteers of different ages and skills came together to restore mobility to those who could not afford it. I realized that I don’t need any special skills, just a desire to help and share my own personal journey.

What started as a scary day in my pediatrician’s office, set me on a path that I had never imagined: I have learned about my health, my body, how to manage my emotions and take control of my condition. I have been fortunate to have access to medical specialists and a supportive high school coach who has helped me every step of the way. I have come to realize that I want to do the same for others who might be suffering from similar challenges. Every day I grow more certain that my career path is in healthcare so that I can help others. I hope that by telling you my story, I have been able to convey how this is not just any volunteering trip, but my passionate commitment to a mission, born from my own personal health and mobility journey. To get a jump start, I plan to go to my local community to spread the word about Operation Walk organization and start collecting gently used crutches and canes, as well as fundraise as much as I can.

- Sarina Parks

Dr. Lawrence Dorr, Dr. Aamer Malik, and Dr. Callaghan

Aamer Mailik, MD

Aamer Malik, MD, not only wants to improve orthopaedic expertise in his native Africa, but he wants to keep it there. That’s why, in addition to serving as Chief of the Hip Unit at the Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor in Barcelona and Tutor for orthopaedic resident education, he also makes two trips to Zanzibar each year. Through the Neurosurgery Education and Development Foundation’s Orthopaedic Program, he coordinates surgical missions in East Africa to expand orthopaedic education there. It’s a commitment he learned from his mentor, the late Lawrence D. Dorr, MD, who not only taught him about hip and knee surgery but also the importance of giving back. 

“In Africa, we give people the capacity to take care of their children, go back to work, and integrate into society in a way that is very fulfilling,” he continued. “It’s really magical to perform a surgery and see how a patient who was unwell becomes well within six weeks. That patient can go back to a normal life.” 

Malik was a research fellow with Dr. Lawrence Dorr from 2005 to 2007 and then completed a fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in adult reconstruction and joint replacement in 2009. “Dr. Dorr was one of the most inspiring individuals I’ve met as a person, as a professional, and as a mentor,” explained Dr. Malik. “Part of the culture we shared is to care for our society, to give back, and to be part of it. That wasn’t something that Dr. Dorr made up; it was just part of his nature. My greatest connection to him was his altruism and humanity.” 

After finishing his HSS fellowship, Dr. Malik participated with Dr. Dorr in three Operation Walk missions in Tanzania and Vietnam. Learning from Dr. Dorr about what it takes to lead such missions, Dr. Malik was inspired to give back to his own community. “I grew up in Africa, I trained in local hospitals, I speak Swahili, I speak Urdu, and I even write Arabic. I culturally understand the people because I grew up there. But while my orthopaedic training helped me understand how to do the surgery, it never taught me how to run a mission and perceive how you can train people over the long term through a project like that,” he said. “That’s the vision and part of the mission that Dr. Dorr had given me as a legacy: how to do more with fewer resources and empower local surgeons and nurses.” 



We look forward to Dr. Malik joining us again on another mission and are proud that he is carrying on the legacy of giving back and restoring mobility to those who need it most. 

Hi Everyone,

As I reflect on the last year, I am filled with joy and gratitude for all that we accomplished.

Tanzania was a significant challenge. The logistics of managing a trip of that distance and magnitude are immense. OpWalk hadn’t been there in years. Yet through your generosity and the hard work of our volunteers, we successfully delivered again. People in need are now walking without pain.

Our group also secured significant donations of expensive and much-needed power equipment. Without the equipment, surgery isn’t possible.

Personally, I took a much-needed and long-deferred anniversary trip with my wife. My practice continues to be affected by the pandemic, as deferred surgeries and the shortage of healthcare workers affect access to care. 

We still have much work ahead of us. Our trip to the Philippines is set for July. We are also trying to go on a second trip closer to home next winter. We thank you for your continued generosity as we continue our mission to give the gift of mobility to people in need.

Wishing you all joy this holiday season, and a happy New Year! May 2024 bring peace to the world. 

Sincerely,

John Kumar MD

From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season. May your days be filled with laughter, love, and peace.

All our best to you in the New Year.

The OpWalk Los Angeles Team