At the invitation of Ambassador Marjorie Grant-Fuller, nurses Julie Anderson RN, Paulina Andujo RN and I made a mission pre-trip to Jamaica in mid-January. Ambassador Grant learned about Operation Walk through our medical co-director, Dr. William Long. We were hosted by Mr. Courtney Cephas, who is the Executive Director of the Jamaican National Healthcare Enhancement Foundation. This foundation is charged with enlisting surgical missions to improve the health and well-being of the Jamaican people.
Volunteer Update – Elinor Handlin
Elinor Handlin joined our mission to Tanzania in 2023 as a student volunteer from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Those who remember her will note she was “all in”. She worked tirelessly, doing whatever she was asked and was especially helpful to me with my IT needs. Elinor found our mission inspiring and went back to school to study orthotics.
Shortly after her return, she was diagnosed with cancer. We kept in touch as she bravely went through exhaustive treatment.
Elinor recently let me know that she is now cancer-free! She is working through her master’s degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics and hopes to start her own group providing these essential devices and services to underserved populations.
A heartfelt congratulations to Elinor!
Paul K. Gilbert, MD
President, Operation Walk Los Angeles
Doctor Lawrence Dorr Scholarship Recipient 2026 Brian Chung, M.D.
I am currently a PGY-4 Orthopaedic Surgery resident at LAG+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where I train in a high-volume safety-net hospital caring for a diverse and underserved patient population. I received my medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and completed my undergraduate education at Duke University, where I majored in chemistry. My clinical and research interests center on adult reconstruction and total joint arthroplasty, with a broader focus on improving access to mobility-restoring care.
Countdown to the Philipphines
The countdown for our mission to General Santos City has begun, and what better way to start preparations than to host a “Counting Day”?
Volunteers came together in January, taking time out of their weekend to help with inventory at our warehouse. Our team took stock of supplies for the OR, Anesthesia, Patient Floor, and Physical Therapy. They took time to count all existing items and began making a list of supplies that will be needed for our return to the Philippines. Surgical trays were sorted, office supplies gathered, and DME was counted and prepared for travel.
Brendon Buenaflor (Philippines, 2025)
Being able to return to our partner hospitals is crucial to patient care.
Meet Brendon Buenaflor, a firefighter and the arm wrestling champion of Mindanao. He was shot eleven years ago, causing damage to his right knee. This injury led to having a rod, a metal plate and pins implanted into his knee and femur. He suffered from severe arthritis in that knee and his left as well.
Brendon wanted his right knee replaced, but our team didn’t have access to the proper equipment to remove the existing hardware during our 2024 mission, so they replaced his left knee.
During our pre-trip to General Santos City last October, team leaders had a chance to reconnect with Brendon and examine both his operated knee and his right, still needing replacement. Next summer, Operation Walk returns to the Philippines and will bring the equipment needed to give Brendon the knee he has waited for and completely restore his mobility.
“I am very grateful to be free from pain in my left leg now. I can do so many things I could not do before this operation. I will wait for you to return this summer and am very thankful to OpWalk for helping me walk again.”
Operation Walk LA pre-team with Brendon in October 2025
Philippines 2026
In October, our leadership team, Dr John Kumar, Lisa Fujimoto-Yamaguchi, PA-C, Trish Lindsey, RN, and Eleanor Barrientos, RN, returned to the Philippines for a pre-trip visit in preparation for our 2026 mission. Building on the success of our first mission to General Santos City in 2024, this visit reflected our ongoing commitment to partnership, perseverance, and the legacy of Dr. Lawrence Dorr.
Pre-trip visits are critical to mission preparation, allowing us to secure required invitation and clearance letters from the Department of Health (DOH), the Local Government Unit (LGU), and our host hospital, St Elizabeth Hospital (SEHI), before medical missions can take place.
Operation Walk Turns 30
From the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of Operation Walk Los Angeles:
Happy New Year! Greetings to you, who represent the OpWalk community and support our mission. The success of Operation Walk Los Angeles has been possible because we are one team. Whether you are a follower on our social media sites, a gracious donor, or a volunteer, together we help to provide the gift of total hip and knee replacement to so many across the globe.
2026 is a landmark year in the history of Operation Walk. This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our first mission. In 1996, our founder, Lawrence Dorr, MD and his team of volunteers took the first steps to embark on a mission to Cuba. The goal was to achieve something that had never been done: provide knee and hip replacements to patients outside of the United States.
Tania Guerra (Cuba, 2025)
For the past ten years, the simple act of walking has become a constant reminder of my pain. It all started with a seemingly harmless sound: the cracking in my knees, which, over time, transformed into a constant and debilitating presence.
I didn’t give up easily. For years, I dedicated myself to physical therapy, hoping to strengthen my knees. In 2018, I even turned to an innovative stem cell treatment, which gave me a precious five-year respite. It was a period of truce, but eventually, the pain returned with such force that maintaining an acceptable quality of life became impossible.
This pain has stolen more than physical comfort from me; it has deprived me of irreplaceable moments. I’ve had to stop exercising, give up walks in nature that I love so much, and, most difficult of all, I haven’t been able to be the grandmother I dreamed of being for my granddaughter, Helenita. Now that she’s 6, I long with all my heart to be able to run around with her in the park, play on the ground without fear, and take her camping to show her the beauty of the trees and plants I miss so much.
Tania with her granddaughter Helenita
My greatest hope for the future is simple yet profound: to regain an active life. I dream of being able to walk without pain, swim, and above all, create happy memories with my Helenita. I want to be part of her adventures, not a spectator from afar.
By sharing my story with the readers and donors of Operation Walk, I want to offer a clear vision: your support is not just about funding knee surgery. It’s about giving a grandmother back the opportunity to play with her granddaughter. It’s about giving the gift of moments of joy, freedom, and quality of life. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for considering being part of my journey to recovery and for helping to fill my future with possibilities once again.
Tania Guerra
Bilateral Knee Surgery
Cuba 2025
Tania 1 month after surgery
Havana, Cuba (2025)
Our Impact / Galleries
Havana, Cuba (2025)
Volunteers Hasana and Paulette in our post-operative ward
Teams used 5 surgery rooms during our 4 days of operating
Team Leader, Paulina Andujo watching Lisandra during her PT session
Our team joins Tania for a group photo after her hip replacement
OpWalk Los Angeles Cuba 2025 Volunteers
Leila Salhi OT with Edeilis during her PT session after bilateral hip replacement
Doctors William Long and Mohammed Moussa examine a patient during screening with translator Angel Gutierrez RN
Doctors John Kumar and Carlos Lavernia with team leader Mary Ellen Sieben RN
Day three of surgery-63 joints were replaced during this mission
Central Supply is crucial in turning over instruments after each surgery
Alfredo, right hip replacement with his surgeon, Dr. Adam Sassoon
Dr. Spitzer and Titus Jackson PA with Marilyn, all smiles, after her knee replacement
Kyle Baldwin DPT and Diane Wood assemble walkers for our patients
Our teams screened over 80 patients both medically and orthopedically for surgery qualification
Patient and Volunteer Photo 2025
Idania Urquiza Montero (Cuba 2025)
My name is Idania Urquiza Montero and I want to share the profound impact the two surgeries performed by the OpWalk team have had on my life, first in 2024 and then in 2025. I’m not just talking about medical procedures: I’m talking about a real, tangible, and transformative before and after.
When I came to you, I was carrying years of pain, limitations, and emotional exhaustion that were taking their toll. From the very first moment, I felt a level of commitment and professionalism that you don’t see every day. You spoke to me clearly, guided me every step of the way, and made me feel supported in a process that, honestly, is frightening.
Idania in 2024 pre-surgery
The first surgery in 2024 opened a door that I thought was closed forever. I regained mobility, I regained hope. But the second procedure in 2025 completely changed everything. It was the closing of a long and difficult chapter, and the beginning of a life with real possibilities.
It hasn’t been an easy road, but you were always there: attentive, compassionate, responsible, and with a dedication evident in every detail. Thanks to your work, today I can move around, resume my routines, look ahead with strength, and feel that I’ve recovered parts of myself I thought were lost.
I say this without exaggeration: Walk gave me back my quality of life, and that’s something I will never forget. I will be eternally grateful to every member of the team who made it possible for me to have a fuller and freer life today.
Thank you for your commitment, your patience, and your excellence.
Sincerely and with much love…
Idania
Idania in 2024 post-surgery
Capturing the Story- Raquel Landworth-Kleinhenz
I first learned of Operation Walk when I met Dr. Dorr and Dr. Gilbert for my knee replacement consultation in 2016. Nine years, two new knees and a hip replacement later, I know firsthand how life-changing it is to be given the opportunity to live a pain-free, productive and active life again after years of crippling pain. I cannot even imagine a world in which relief is not an option, though many people do face that crippling reality every day and have no option for alternatives. It is a humbling experience to travel to countries where people have no access to this type of medical help and have waited 10 and sometimes even 20 years to be able to receive a new joint. That’s where Operation Walk steps in.
Calling All Volunteers
Kyle Baldwin, DPT, has volunteered with Operation Walk Los Angeles since its first mission in 1997. He has helped hundreds of patients navigate recovery after joint replacement and trained physical therapists both in the United States and in our host countries. Thank you, Dr.
“In 2002, I made a choice to embark on an adventure with Operation Walk to El Salvador. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I trusted and embraced the people of the organization, and now 23 years later, I still get excited about being asked to participate in Op Walk Mission Trips. This experience gave me a new and different perspective on life and how I define myself.
One of the most important things I have learned from Op Walk is that giving is far greater than receiving. That despite prestige, money, education, or possessions, we are all sewn from the same cloth, and come from a common thread… we are human and are created equal. And as human beings, it is our duty to care for each other and give from the heart.”
-Matt Holsbeke, RN