Volunteer Voices
First-time Team Members
One of the most exciting parts of the Operation Walk Los Angeles team makeup is being able to introduce new volunteers to the experience of medical missions. These three women have different areas of expertise, but all shared their talents, their hearts, and dedication to patient care during our visit to the Philippines.
Coleen Daugherty, RN
Circulating Nurse
As a first-time volunteer, I admired how people from all walks of life worked together as a family with one big goal in mind: to give people a lifetime impact and help them walk again. The equation of compassion + collaboration life-changing effects was truly manifested the entire week we were there from pre-op, through the operating room, to post-op and recovery.
In addition, I am truly grateful for the hospitality of St Elizabeth’s staff from Sir Tony and the rest of his crew. They displayed true generosity, sincere appreciation, heartwarming welcome, provided an abundance of delicious food and showcased their talented staff. A shout-out to the phenomenal nurses I worked with, Kristine and Arreane. They have all truly blessed us in so many ways.
It takes a great team of leadership to make this mission a success. Thank you to the OpWalk team leaders; Dr. John Kumar, Dr. William Long, Lisa Fujimoto, Trish Lindsey, Mary Ellen Sieben and Stacy Kelso. We saw how you all worked so hard to make this mission happen. It takes one person to help you realize your dream. A special thanks to Trish (we go way back from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago) for making my dream come true to be a part of a medical mission that creates a lifetime impact.
Every single donation gets magnified as a whole. Please continue to support the OpWalk team. I can’t emphasize enough how life-changing their work truly is. Every patient was so genuinely grateful for everything, and it changed my life more than it changed theirs. I am incredibly grateful to be a part of the Operation Walk Los Angeles team who create lifetime impacts through hip and knee replacement surgeries. As Mother Teresa said, “A life not lived for others is not a life.”
Boreum Kim
Physical Therapist
I’m a physical therapist with 8 years of experience with orthopedic certified specialist (OCS) and neurologic certified specialist (NCS) currently working at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. I first heard about OpWalk seven years ago from Dr. William Long’s Physician Assistant, Bert Fuller. He was my patient and needed to reschedule his appointment due to an upcoming mission in Cuba. Since then, I’ve been working closely with Dr. Long, seeing his patients on the same day of surgery. I was able to witness his full of excitement and joy each time he returned from a mission. It made me want to discover for myself what Operation Walk was all about. The impact of this mission was huge; it was very rewarding, and filled with joy and gratitude.
I remember two female patients in their early 40’s. One was a biology teacher who’d been suffering from bilateral hip pain for over three years. She was very determined to have both hips replaced. She took a leap of faith and she was rewarded with fast recovery and great potential to engage an active lifestyle that she always dreamed about.
The other patient presented with ankylosing spondylitis and a fused hip joint with a limited range of motion and received total hip replacement surgery. Her gait was severely dysfunctional; excessive right hip abduction with a trunk lean. After her surgery, she still had the tendency to walk with a right hip abduction possibly due to old habits and muscle memory, but was able to correct it with cues. She kept asking me during her therapy if she would be able to walk normal. It was hard for her to imagine. She doesn’t need to feel humiliated, depressed or bullied any more. I assured her that she could achieve a normal gait with continuous effort to stretch/strengthen hip muscles.
I also appreciate the hospitality of St. Elizabeth Hospital and the generous support from former senator, Manny Pacquiao which made this trip extra special.
It was very rewarding to witness people’s recovery after surgery. Patients and families were extremely happy with their results, and everyone showed their gratitude by celebrating their life-changing transformations. It is true that giving is better than receiving. I’m so happy to have discovered the joy of serving others.
Michelle Riley
Physician Assistant
I’ve been a Physician Assistant since 2002 and started working at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles in 2006. I’d heard of Operation Walk numerous times but didn’t know how to get involved until our Orthopedic Nurse Paulina Andujo introduced me to the Ins & outs of the program and recommended I apply online. I’d interacted with Lisa Fujimoto over the years but never got to work closely with her until this trip. I was elated to get the invitation to join the mission because Paulina had said so many great things about the organization.
One patient I assisted during her Bilateral Hip Replacement surgery is a Biology professor and is looking forward to getting back to work teaching her students. In a way, I feel like I’m helping young scientists that I ordinarily wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have an impact on by giving them back their teacher.
Another patient that I assisted during her hip replacement is young and has one and four-year-old kids. It’s a great feeling giving those little kids their Mommy back and giving her a pain-free life. I have an 8-year-old so I know that being a Mommy is hard enough without adding chronic pain to the mix.
My trip was a very memorable and fulfilling experience. It was great to work with other surgeons that I’ve heard of over the years and rewarding to take care of patients and help to give them their lives back.