Dr. Lawrence Dorr invited me to join the April 2019 mission to Havana, Cuba, my first with Operation Walk. Not knowing what to expect at the initial meeting, I was introduced to the entire team, nearly 60 strong, many who had known and worked with each other several times prior.
Faith, Hope, And Charity – An Update From Jeri Ward
Do you remember, as a child, reaching for the brass ring on a merry-go-round? The ring was hard to reach, but you knew with each turn of the carousel, there’d be another chance. Over two hundred patients in Nicaragua and Guatemala had barely touched that ring when the pandemic hit our world. Will the carousel come around again? Will the brass ring be within their grasp? For them, and our patients in the USA, that brass ring will transform their lives. It will be the surgery that will help them walk without pain again, allow them to work and take care of their families, and free them from being a burden to their communities.
Meet The Board: Gordon Penharlow
The Operation Walk Los Angeles Board of Directors consists of 19 wonderful and accomplished professionals who dedicate their time and resources to helping Operation Walk fulfill its growth and mission.
This month we’d like to spotlight Board Member Mr. Gordon Penharlow. He writes: “As we are all aware, the world can be a difficult and sometimes painful place. The work Larry and Jeri, and of course, the others involved in Operation Walk have been doing makes the world a better place for those they help. Continuing with this work and expanding it to include more patients will result in a better future for many people. My goal is to help as best as I can to make certain that this work continues.”
Gordon Penharlow is a Registerested Professional Engineer. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and has served as an instructor in technical writing at California State University at Northridge. He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Engineering in 1980 for outstanding contributions to the engineering profession, and is past president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.
In 1967, Gordon Penharlow formed Pacific Multitech Inc. to provide technical documentation and engineering services to the aerospace industry. He has served as the company president since its inception and still operates the company. Pacific Multitech, Inc. has been involved in virtually every aircraft development worldwide and many military and space system developments.
Featured Board Member: Dr. Terre Osterkamp
This month, we are fortunate to feature Board Member Terre Osterkamp, M.D.
Dr. Osterkamp has served on the Operation Walk Los Angeles Board for many years. Her life-long commitment to helping improve the medical community is an inspiration to all of us.
BIOGRAPHY
Terre L. Osterkamp, M.D., was raised in Mason City, Iowa. She attended University of Colorado for undergraduate school and then attended USC Medical School for her medical degree. She did her residency in Obstretics and Gynecology at LAC/USC Medical Center. Terre was in private practice for 32 years in La Cañada and admitted her patients to Huntington Memorial Hospital and Verdugo Hills Hospital. After retiring from her practice, she was asked to be Clinical Director of Ob/Gyn Services for the ChapCare organization and its eight clinics. She is presently working there part time.
Terre is married to John Osterkamp, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon who also attended CU and USC. They have been married for 46 years and have 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren. They both love golf, travel, spend time at the beach, and be with their family.
Terre has been on the Verdugo Hills Hospital Foundation Board for 20 years and served as Chair. She also served on the Ronald McDonald House Pasadena Board. For 9 years, she was on the Mayfield Senior School Board and serves as a Chair. She enjoyed National Charity League for 16 years with her daughters, helping seniors at a retirement home. Terre has been on the Annandale Golf Team for several years and enjoys playing competitive bridge.
A Day As An Operation Walk Volunteer
By Ava Baldwin
The wheels touch down in a very small airport in Managua, Nicaragua. There is lush vegetation all around and the second the plane door opens you can feel the heat and humidity – and there is no air conditioning in the airport.
It is not unusual to see armed soldiers and the security system consists of passengers pressing a large button (which resembles a ‘fake’ game show button). If you get a green light you pass, red you stop.
Operation Walk Update (August 2020)
I hope all of you are staying well. A year ago we would never have dreamed how our lives would change. This pandemic, like those in the past, will change the way we do things, but will not change the human spirit of helping others. I have been in constant contact with our colleagues in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Cuba. We are comparing statistics, treatment protocols and other information on how are countries are dealing with COVID-19. We are disappointed that our missions did not work out this year, but we all commit to getting back to the patients waiting for us as soon as it is safe to travel again.
Operation Walk LA Donates $10,000 To Obras Sociales Hospital In Guatemala
Operation Walk Los Angeles was scheduled for a mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala next month. We have a long standing partnership with Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro beginning in 2004 and we were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to return and restore mobility to our patients there.
Operation Walk Los Angeles Update About 2020 Missions
The past few weeks have transformed our lives in ways we could never have imagined. Over 15 Operation Walk missions from our teams across the US have been postponed or canceled. This has been as crushing to our medical volunteers as it is to the people we are trying to help in other countries. But today, we are all answering the call of our local health care systems to help at home.
All 2020 Operation Walk Trips Postponed Until Next Year Due To Covid-19
Today, we would have been recovering 50 or more patients that received a new hip or knee replacement from our Operation Walk Los Angeles team in Managua, Nicaragua. Instead, our team leaders are scrambling to distribute supplies to our own colleagues in the United States and people infected with the COVID-19 virus.
Operation Walk Los Angeles Update
Today, we would have been recovering 50 or more patients that received a new hip or knee replacement from our OpWalk Los Angeles team in Managua, Nicaragua. Instead, our team leaders are scrambling to distribute supplies to our own colleagues in the United States and people infected with the COVID-19 virus.