In the fall of 2018, we had the privilege of meeting Eduardo Mendoza. At the time, he was 37 and working as a computer engineer. He walked into our patient screening with a pronounced limp. Eduardo had a 1″ difference in the length of his legs, requiring him to wear a lift in his shoe. Although the lift helped, it was still difficult to walk and at the end of the day, he struggled to keep up with his colleagues and work duties.
Eduardo was cleared by our team during clinic and the next morning received a double hip replacement—giving his legs equal length on both sides. With his mother, sisters, and fiancé cheering him on, he began physical therapy the following day. His muscle memory was skewed, after years of one leg making up for the other, but after several rounds of rehabilitation with our therapists, he began retraining his gait.
This past week, during Throwback Thursday on our social media pages, we featured a short video of Eduardo using crutches for the first time after his surgeries. He had drawn quite a crowd and everyone cheered as he made his way down the hall.
We were excited to hear from both Eduardo and his sister Maria after sharing the video. We are happy to report that he remains free from pain and has completely regained his mobility. Below is the reaction each had to seeing this important moment.
“Thank you OPERATION WALK, your team of generous humans changed the life of my family. Thank you for your wonderful work and for the human charity that each one of your members has. You really are ANGELS. Your volunteers don’t just donate their time and talent; they share a great vocation for service and the ability to love others. We love you!”
-Maria Jose Mendoza Tapia
“Gracias, Gracias, Gracias a todos!”
-Eduardo Mendoza
Written by Cami Ward, Social Media Coordinator.