In honor of Father’s Day and fathers everywhere, we continue our “All About Family” series by featuring the father and son team, Jonathan and Drew Weiss. Dr. Jonathan Weiss has been volunteering with Operation Walk as an anesthesiologist for the past several years. When the opportunity came about, he jumped at the opportunity to share the experience with Drew. Read their thoughts about volunteering together during our 2022 mission to Guatemala and the perspectives they gained through their experience.
Ever since my Dad came home from his first trip with the Los Angeles team, I’ve wanted to go on an Operation Walk mission. Each year upon his return, he’d talk about the patients he cared for, how he changed their lives, and how they changed him. I wanted to be able to experience what he felt and to share that experience with him. I feel like I really saw a different side of him the week we were in Antigua. From observing him in the operating room to watching him interact with patients, I gained a new respect and appreciation for what he does for a living and the impact he is able to make on these missions. Since returning from Guatemala, I’ve decided to become a Physician Assistant, with the hopes of one day being able to volunteer my time to impact the lives of others on medical missions.
In August 2022, my son Drew and I had the opportunity to travel together on an OpWalk mission to Antigua Guatemala. Drew saw me over the years return home from trips and felt how excited and fulfilled I was after helping others on these missions. Years ago, he expressed an interest in coming with me and we were scheduled to go together in 2020 but Covid postponed our trip.
This experience was special to me as I got to spend a week with Drew, but also because I was able to share an important part of my life with him. I loved watching him get the same sense of fulfillment that I have on missions and enjoyed seeing him become part of our team and helping others.
Thank you Operation Walk for this unique opportunity for us both.
Jonathan and Drew Weiss