Electronic Newsletter: July 2022
Dr. Paul Gilbert visits Nicaraguan patient Juan D.
after his knee replacement surgery
Table of Contents
1 - A Letter from Board President Dr. Paul K. Gilbert

2 - Annual Gala Planning Committee: Call for volunteers

3 - A Message of Gratitude from Patient Saray

4 - First-time Volunteers: Meet Andrew Chhen, RN

5 - Save the Date: Annual Gala

6 - Dr. Dorr's Book on Amazon
A Letter from Board President
Dr. Paul K. Gilbert
It is with great pleasure that I assume the role of President of the Board for the Los Angeles Chapter of Operation Walk. We continue with a solid and dedicated Board. The passing of Dr. Lawrence Dorr, our founder, and the pandemic present us with the challenge of keeping the passion. I can tell you with this Board, all our volunteers and you, this is not a problem. 
I have been a part of Operation Walk since 2005. Thirteen trips, several years as co-medical director and leadership experience brought me to this position. It will take the combined efforts of Dr. William Long, Dr. John Kumar and myself to fill the shoes of Dr. Dorr. 

I maintain a busy practice in joint replacement at Keck Medicine of USC and at Verdugo Hills Hospital of USC in Glendale. Now more than ever, my focus is on partial knee replacements and computers and robotics in Orthopaedic Surgery. This technology is fascinating and with out a doubt, the future. We are working hard to expand orthorobotics at USC and in orthopaedics in general. 

My wife, Cindy, has been on many trips contributing as a registered nurse. Our sons, Jim and Chris are also veterans. Cindy, Jim and his wife, Alisa, will accompany us to Guatemala this August and Chris is always ready to go! Truly a family affair. 

You all make Operation Walk a success. Please continue to read these journals and feel free to communicate with us. We are stronger together!

-Paul Gilbert, MD
 

Dr. Gilbert has performed thousands of joint replacements over the last two decades and has used computer navigation in more than 500 joint replacement procedures. He also adopted robotic surgery for partial knee replacements, due to its benefits in achieving accuracy in surgery. Dr. Gilbert is board certified in orthopedic surgery and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. -Source: Keck Medicine of USC

Operation Walk Los Angeles is privileged to welcome Dr. Paul Gilbert as
President of the Board of Directors.
Annual Gala Planning Committee
Call for volunteers
Are you, or someone you know, passionate about event planning and fundraising? We are looking for volunteers to help plan our Annual Gala on October 22, 2022 at Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena. Operation Walk Los Angeles medical missions are possible thanks to our annual fundraisers, such as the Angels' Luncheon in the spring, the Annual Gala in the fall, and Giving Tuesday on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Volunteers who join the committee will help make important decisions about maximizing our fundraising efforts and ensuring all guests have a wonderful time at the event. The theme this year is: The World Music & Fashion Festival.

If you are interested in joining the Gala Committee, please email Alejandra Castillo at alejandra@operationwalk.org .
Jazz band performing at the Gala in 2021
Paddle raise for Operation Walk
Guests enjoy the casino games at the 2019 Western-themed Gala
Guatemalan dancers at the 2017 Gala
Volunteers Paulina Andujo, RN and Don Shimabukuro, PT on the red carpet in 2018
A Message of Gratitude from Patient Saray
Thanks to the technology at our fingertips, we are able to receive real-time updates from patients about their recovery post-surgery. Saray T. was one of the patients selected for surgery during our April medical mission in Havana, Cuba. She sent us this message of gratitude, along with a video of her walking one month after her surgery. She writes:

"I want to tell my story, of how I was placed on the screening list for hip replacement at Hospital Fructuoso and was blessed with surgery by Operation Walk Los Angeles.

I suffered from Perthes' Syndrome since I was 4 years old. Perthes' disease is an uncommon condition affecting children between the ages of three and eleven. Blood supply to the head of the thigh bone is disrupted which causes the bone to deteriorate. This can cause pain, limping and limited movement. Walking has been a struggle for me most of my life. I didn't have intense pain but my life was very limited. My restricted mobility made it difficult to do housework, limiting me to just cooking and other short tasks. If I went for a walk or spent a lot of time working at the hairdresser's, the joint often felt inflamed and the pain would linger long after I rested.

Fourteen years ago after a pregnancy loss, my right hip collapsed and flattened out the neck of my femur. Since then, I was waiting for surgery at Frank País Orthopedic Hospital, but my doctor recommended postponing it due to the poor durability of the prostheses that was available.

Last year my husband had an accident and that's how I met Dr. Amelia. I told her about my condition and she told me about your program. Thanks to God, to all of you and the Fructuoso team, I was selected as a pre-candidate to be placed on the screening list. If and when I rejoin my profession as a hair stylist, I have a modest living room at home that I can work from. 

Thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to be in the hands of such talented and loving professionals and to all those who donate so that many like me can have a better quality of life."

-Saray T.
Pictured from left to right: Michelle Burdette, RN, Paulina Andujo, RN, Dr. David Bindelglass,
Julie Anderson, and Saray T.
First-time Volunteers:
Meet Andrew Chhen, RN
Operation Walk counts with the support of dozens of dedicated, long-time volunteers. But we also love welcoming first-time volunteers and hearing their perspective on our teamwork and mission. And of course, we hope the new volunteers keep coming back!

Andrew Chhen is a circulating nurse in the operating room who joined us for the first time in Cuba, during the April 2022 trip at Hospital Fructuoso Rodriguez. He writes:

"I was really amazed by how everyone comes together. At home, there is a hierarchy; if you don’t get what you want, when you want it, you complain. I was speaking to my colleagues and mentioned that this is the only place where you can tell a surgeon that we don’t have that piece of equipment or instrumentation and it’s okay. We just get the job done, we all have one goal.

When Trish Lindsey, an Operation Walk team leader, mentioned that I should go to the floor to visit some of my patients, I thought: Why? I never visit my patients back home. We are focused on getting the next patient through surgery.

My colleague Ploi and I decided to visit a patient and she remembered who I was. She was so happy to see me. I asked her, "What are you doing after you recover from surgery?" Her answer was, "I am going to live my life without pain." I thought: what a different perspective.

It makes sense to me now, how everyone--the volunteers--keep coming back. The tradition continues. I’m glad I was a part of it."
-Andrew Chhen, RN
Andrew Chhen, RN visiting patients on the floor
during the April 2022 Cuba medical mission
SAVE THE DATE:
Operation Walk Annual Gala
Please mark your calendars with the official date of our annual gala: October 22, 2022. The venue will be Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena, California.

We hope you can join us for a wonderful evening in support of Operation Walk Los Angeles.
Next Step: HOPE
Now available on Amazon
Dr. Dorr's book is now available for purchase on Amazon. If you already have a copy of the book, you can help us by leaving a review.

We are grateful for your support in honoring Dr. Dorr's legacy.
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