It is about family. My family. The family Sauga.

Nelson Sauga is 68 years old and the cornerstone of his family. With seven sons and two daughters, he is the glue that holds the Sauga family together.

Nelson began to experience pain in his right knee in 2008. This pain increased to the intensity that it forced him to retire from his military career.

“My family is everything,” Nelson told me after his surgery. “They are the most important thing. I can’t let them down. I have to keep moving, keep being a part of their lives.”

Nelson was a vibrant and constant source of joy while in recovery. He encouraged his fellow patients, engaged with our volunteers, and let us know that he was going to recover and be better than ever.

“This is for your family, Family Sauga!” He had well over 15 family members waiting for him the day after surgery and he proudly walked past them to show that he was ready to regain both his mobility and his life.

Children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild watched as he made his way from his room out to the patio. He gathered them around and we took a celebratory photo to commemorate his recovery.

“I am the father, the grandfather, the great-grandfather,” he stated. I show the way. Nothing is impossible.”

We are all better to have met Nelson. His humor, honesty, and love for his family will stay with us for years to come.

While in Arusha, we had the honor of meeting Juliana and her daughter, Josefa.

Juliana and Josefa live in the countryside about an hour and a half outside of Arusha. Juliana used to travel by bus, a three-hour round trip to Arusha, six days a week to work at her job in a textile mill. She worked at the factory for over twenty years before the onset of osteoarthritis in her knees started to slow her down both on her travels into the city and at her job.

In 2018 she consulted with local orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Bibiri, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre and through a grant program and some insurance through her employer, she was able to have her right knee replaced. Juliana hoped this would allow her to continue working at the factory, but the pain in her left knee increased and crippled her to the point that she was dismissed.

Waiting through the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, with little income, and limited mobility, Juliana was desperate. Her husband who lived in a neighboring village did what he could to help, although his mobility is greatly limited as well. Her daughter, who had to drop out of university to support them both, tried to make up the difference but the situation looked grim.

“I didn’t know what to do. The ‘grant’ program at the hospital had gone and I no longer had any health insurance. I was afraid I would never walk again. What would happen to me, to my daughter?”

Just when she had lost hope, she received a call from her former surgeon, Dr Bibiri and he had good news. There was a team called Operation Walk from Los Angeles traveling to Arusha in 2023 that might be able to replace her left knee and restore her mobility. It was only a chance; she would have to go through several screenings and ultimately be approved by the team surgeons. Juliana said it was the only opportunity she would be given and immediately agreed to be screened and considered for joint replacement.

When I met Juliana, she was recovering from knee replacement surgery. She was among the first three patients in the OR and was already making amazing progress, transitioning quickly from her walker to crutches.

“Operation Walk saved my life.” She told me through her daughter. “I love you and the people who gave me back the ability to walk, to work, to live. You are now my family.”

On August 14, 2023, Operation Walk Los Angeles team members OR nurse, Jocelyn (“JC”) Chow RN, and anesthesiologist, Dr. Jonathan Weiss had the pleasure and honor of taking care of 39-year-old Amina Msuya.

At the age of 9, Amina suffered a debilitating fracture. While walking to school, there was a tremendous flood in her village causing a rock to tumble down the hillside, colliding into her and damaging her right knee. Amina shared that her parents were unable to afford surgery to repair the damage and help was unavailable to her in Tanzania. The cost of the surgery alone was over $3500, an amount her family could not afford.

For the last 30 years, Amina has suffered debilitating pain, using the aid of a crutch to walk. As an elementary school teacher, responsible for children ages 7 to 10, and as a mother of 3 children of her own, day-to-day life was a challenge.

At the beginning of 2023, Amina was notified on a WhatsApp chat about a planned Operation Walk trip to Arusha in August. Amina and her husband traveled 2 days by bus to get x-rays and she was evaluated by local physicians at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. After her exam, she returned home and waited, hoping for a miracle.

After 2 months, she received the good news. Amina was selected to return to the hospital for further examination and evaluation by the Operation Walk team. This exam would determine if she would be one of the fortunate few to receive life-changing knee replacement surgery.

Amina made her 2-day return journey to the hospital. After her evaluation, she was placed on the OR schedule for August 14.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit her after surgery. Immediately post-op, she shared she was relieved of the crippling pain she had suffered for 30 years, beginning child, continuing through adulthood, and into motherhood.

We’ve stayed in touch with Amina through WhatsApp, and she continues to update us on her progress. She proudly reports that she possesses mobility she has not experienced for over 30 years and thought was possible. We will continue to stay in touch with her during this period of recovery and are so happy that we were able to be a small part of her experience with Operation Walk.

Jocelyn Chow RN and Dr. Jonathan Weiss
Operation Walk Los Angeles Volunteers