Amina Msuya (Tanzania 2023)

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

A Big Welcome to Our New Board Members

Trish Lindsey

Hello everyone, I’m Trish Lindsey and I work as an Operating Room Registered Nurse, specializing in the field of orthopedic surgery.

My commitment to improving the lives of those in need of joint replacement surgery is evident in my work with Operation Walk. During these missions, I volunteer my time and share my skills to help provide free surgeries to patients in developing countries. I’ve focused on working as an operating room nurse, particularly in the areas of orthopedics, neuro/spine, and behavioral health. The passion I feel for working in orthopedic surgery is matched only by my compassion for others. My life’s mission is to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

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Meet Our New Volunteer: Samantha See

Operation Walk has had a long-standing partnership with Cornell College and its pre-healthcare program, Dimensions. Cornell College being Dr. Dorr’s undergrad alma mater, he wanted to involve students at the ground level, experiencing healthcare in its truest form. We are happy to continue this tradition and educational opportunity during our next mission trip to Arusha this summer. We are pleased to introduce Samantha See as one of our two student volunteers.

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Dr. Jalali and fiancee
Dr. Jalali and fiancee

Introducing Dr. Omid Jalali, Resident and Scholarship Recipient for 2023

Hello, I am Dr. Omid Jalali and was born and raised in Irvine California. I have one older sister who I look up to greatly. My father worked as a GPS engineer and my mother worked in insurance.

In addition to my devotion to academics, I’ve always been heavily involved in athletics. Ultimately, soccer was my passion and I was recruited as a scholarship athlete to the University of California at Berkeley. During my time there, I continued to be active in both academics and athletics, obtaining my degree in undergraduate business administration at the Haas School of Business in addition to completing all pre-med coursework and applying to medical school before the completion of my four years.

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A Matter of Faith

For husband and wife team, Kathy and Richard Link, their call to service is a matter of faith.

“Growing up in my family it was expected for all of us to give back to our community. When I came to faith it gave me a different perspective of what ‘giving back’ meant. Helping others means the most to me in my life. I want to use my talents to help others and make a difference in the world.”

These words struck a chord with me when I spoke with the Links during a recent phone interview. Rich and Kathy will be joining us on our mission to Arusha, Tanzania this August and they couldn’t be more excited.
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Introducing Dr. Steve Meyer & His Son, Josh

Dr. Steve Meyer is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon raised on a small farm in Northwest Iowa and is currently practicing Orthopedics at CNOS in Sioux City Iowa. As founder and president of the Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministry, Dr. Steve has been the recipient of both the AAOS and AAHKS Humanitarian Award as well as a State of Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame recipient.

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National Teachers Day

In honor of #TeacherAppreciationWeek we wanted to highlight the teaching that happens during our mission trips. While in-country, OpWalk doctors share with colleagues advanced knowledge of joint replacement. Our team teaches while working side-by-side with anesthetists, surgeons, internists, nurses in the operation room, floor or recovery room, physical therapy, and central sterilizing of instruments. A typical mission may include:

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It’s All About Hope

It began in the imagination of Southwestern Australian artist, Marion Graeber. An idea fulfilling a request to create an Angel to represent the spirit of Operation Walk and the women who support its mission to restore mobility. What followed was a painting that soon became known as “Hope”.

This was a fitting name because that’s what our organization is all about, restoring hope and mobility through joint replacement surgery. The spirit of hope is what helps us year after year to bring together a diverse group of volunteers who give their time and talent to improve the lives of others.

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