I volunteered for my first Operation Walk trip after I retired from the military. There in Nicaragua, Dr Dickey Jones, a long-time supporter of OpWalk, took me under his wing and taught me how to support the mission. After the last day of surgery was complete, he encouraged me to get into the business of medicine and pointed me toward a new career as an Orthopedic Rep.
Our first Ozarks Poker Tournament was held on October 20, in Nixa, Missouri. Both Charlie and I have been invested in Operation Walk since 2008 and wanted to share the mission of OpWalk LA with our friends and neighbors here in southwestern Missouri.
With the help of two local businessmen, Jeff Yates owner of the Bank Tavern in Billings and Marc Backes owner of The Ozarks Event Center in Nixa, we were able to put together a tournament hosting 30 players, held a Raffle featuring items from Cuba, the host country for our upcoming mission, and raised $6,500 to support two patients through joint replacement surgery.
Operation Walk is all about family. Whether we are speaking of our sister-teams 20 strong across North America and Europe, our volunteers that work side-by-side on each mission, or the families that give of their time and talents and volunteer together to help Operation Walk continue to restore mobility: it is truly a family affair.
Below we feature a family that traveled together during our most recent mission to the Philippines. Thank you for sharing your experiences and your stories.
Throughout 2023, we have celebrated the youth movement that is sweeping through Operation Walk Los Angeles. These dedicated students have helped to collect equipment, raise funds, and volunteered their time to make sure that both our missions to the Philippines and our upcoming travels to Havana, Cuba were a success.
This month we celebrate the student volunteers who joined us in the Philippines, Erin Kairies, Ilyana Caceres, Isabella Umali-Grawe, and Sarina Parks. Mrs. Kairies and Ms. Caceres are students at Cornell College and participated in the Dimensions Program which has partnered with Operation Walk since 2005. Ms. Umali-Grawe is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin and on track to pursue a career in medicine. Ms. Parks is a high school senior with compassion and an interest in helping others.
We are featuring two of their first-hand experiences, first by Ms. Kairies and then followed by Ms. Parks with an introduction from Angel and volunteer, Theresa Murphy. Thank you ladies for all of your hard work and dedication to our organization.
Dr. Lawrence D. Dorr Scholarship Winner
Dr. Kamran Movassaghi
I have spent the last 10 years of my life mostly trying to answer the “how” of medicine. How does the bodywork, fail, and heal? As I became more specialized, my focus turned to understanding bony pathology and its surgical treatment. How do I fix this fracture…How do I perform this surgery? Throughout this journey, it became easy to lose sight of the “why”.
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.
A review of the Philippines
Lisa Fujimoto Yamaguchi, Team Leader
I would like to first thank the phenomenal Operation Walk Philippines team and the St Elizabeth Hospital colleagues for their extraordinary dedication to the patients of General Santos City. This combined team has been the best I have experienced personally in my 22 years with Operation Walk Los Angeles. With 19 first-time volunteers participating on this mission, we successfully operated on 37 patients and performed 38 joint replacement surgeries. These patients came from near and far. This mission would not have been possible without the exemplary teamwork of each and every team member.
Since the collection of Durable Medical Equipment at the Verdugo Hills Hospital Physical Therapy Department and Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic was a huge success, I wanted to start an additional collection site at the outpatient orthopedic clinic at the hospital where my mom works. Although collection at this site wasn’t possible, the staff suggested to approach Fr. Mike Gergen, a beloved pastor at St Dominic Savio church.
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.
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.
Los Angeles, CA — At Westside Neighborhood School (WNS), a group of dedicated 7th graders have embarked on a school project called SPLASH, which stands for Solving Problems for Los Angeles’ Society and Health.
SPLASH is designed to identify and address community challenges while making a meaningful impact. This year, my daughter, Madison Yamaguchi, along with school teammates Ethan Chang, Haley Ahir, and Alex Melendez have chosen to support OpWalk Los Angeles as their project.
Hip and knee replacement surgeries are often thought of as procedures primarily for the elderly, but this perception overlooks the significant number of younger individuals who require them due to conditions such as congenital dysplasia, osteonecrosis, post-traumatic arthritis, and inflammatory diseases. We’re screening several young patients for the upcoming mission who are in need of these surgeries to be free of pain, regain functionality, return to work, and take care of their families.
