We are pleased to introduce you to long-time supporters and first-time Operation Walk Los Angeles volunteers, Dr. Laura Doan and her husband Dr. Nate Heckmann. Meeting in medical school, these doctors have a history of volunteering and service to others. Read why being a part of our 2024 mission to the Philippines is important to them both.
We’re very excited to be volunteering for OpWalk Los Angeles’ mission to the Philippines this July. Dr. Lawrence Dorr, the founder of Operation Walk, was one of Nate’s mentors while he completed his orthopedic surgery residency training program at USC-LA County. Nate is honored to uphold Dr. Dorr’s legacy by providing life-changing joint arthroplasty care at no cost to those who cannot otherwise access or afford these services. Prior to this medical mission, Nate volunteered with UC Irvine’s Medical Initiative Against Homelessness student-run organization to provide tutoring and medical assistance to those experiencing homelessness in Orange County.
Volunteerism has been a core component of Laura’s life since high school. Through her involvement with Rotary International, Laura helped raise $45,000 for the Wheelchair Foundation to sponsor the delivery of over 600 wheelchairs to individuals in need and $35,000 for PolioPlus to aid the efforts to eradicate polio globally. She has organized three international humanitarian missions to the Dominican Republic, Brazil, and South Africa with Rotary International, completed a clinical experience in Vietnam with Project Vietnam Foundation, and volunteered on two medical missions to Jamaica with Integrative Clinics International.
“As a family medicine physician, there are numerous opportunities to provide assistance to underserved communities, both locally and abroad,” Laura states. “It’s more challenging to provide surgical services in low-resource countries due to insufficient infrastructure, facilities, equipment, supplies, and trained workforce. To be able to share global health experiences with my husband, who is a surgeon, is a rare opportunity that would not be possible without the exhaustive planning and extraordinary dedication from the OpWalk team leaders.”
Nate and Laura, who met as medical students at UC Irvine, are excited to continue their medical journey together as first-time volunteers with Operation Walk Los Angeles. They’re anticipating the mission to the Philippines will be exhausting, but extremely rewarding, much like parenthood. As parents of an adorable two-year-old daughter, they are no strangers to fatigue, and plan to dedicate all their time and energy during the mission to help individuals remember what it feels like to walk without pain and suffering.