One year ago we were leaving for an Operation Walk mission to Havana, Cuba. The mission was two-fold, first to operate over 50 patients at a hospital that was new to us, and secondly to support our new team from Albany, NY on their first mission. Everything went well, as the new team surpassed their goal and made plans to return to Cuba in November of 2020.
Here we are today, all Operation Walk travel has been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As frustrated and disappointed as we have been this past year, time has allowed us to do some of our work that is hard to achieve during our volunteer hours. Instruments need to be sharpened, electrical equipment checked and refurbished if needed (some of our equipment is over 20 years old, but thanks to our engineer Matt Sandusky, it has held up!), and supplies reviewed to dispose of expired medical supplies.
We had hoped the travel restrictions would be lifted and a vaccine would be available soon. We waited, like everyone else, as our country was affected. In the meantime, rent had to be paid for our storage warehouse, insurance premiums maintained, and the support of one part-time employee.
Our fundraising efforts could not stop. We had hopes that we would be able to safely gather by the end of October, but that was not to be. We give most grateful to bring some fun and brightness to Operation Walk’s friends during 2020. The 6 prizes will be raffled on Wednesday, December 2nd via Facebook live. Please, follow us on Facebook to stay tuned!
There is still time to purchase tickets through our Annual Fundraiser. Proceeds will support our 2021 missions.
Sincerely,
Jeri Ward