Besides being our first trip since the pandemic, our upcoming trip to Guatemala will serve as a training experience for volunteers Tricia Lindsey, R.N. and Marilu Gonzalez, R.N., who will be stepping up as volunteer leaders in the OR and the floor, respectively. They are in good hands, as they will be learning from Jeri Ward, R.N. and Mary Ellen Sieben, R.N. who have been leading the Operation Walk Los Angeles team for over 20 years. Tricia and Marilu would like to introduce themselves below.
Meet Our Team: Guatemala
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our Operation Walk chapter, like other Operation Walk chapters, has been anxiously waiting to
be able to travel again and to fulfill our promise to our patients. We have put together a small and diligent team of volunteers who will be traveling to Antigua, Guatemala this month to operate patients in dire need of a knee replacement. We have taken extensive measures to ensure the safety of our patients and team members, as well as our Guatemalan hosts. We’d like to introduce you to some of our team members and hear from them about their experiences with Operation Walk. We are all eagerly counting the days until August 21st!
Operation Walk USA 2021
Operation Walk USA will be taking place from November 29 to December 4, 2021. If you or someone you know is in need of a total hip or knee replacement and does not have health insurance please visit their official website to submit a patient application as soon as possible.
If you are a surgeon or hospital administrator interested in providing free total hip and knee replacement surgeries for Operation Walk USA, please feel free to submit your information directly to Operation Walk USA.
July 2021 Updates
DR. DORR’S CELEBRATION OF LIFE
The Celebration of Life for Dr. Lawrence Dorr will be held on Saturday, November 6th, 2021 at Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena. This will be a memorial service where we can share stories and pay tribute to Dr. Dorr. We will ask for a prompt RSVP when the invitation is sent out. Thank you for your support of Dr. Dorr’s legacy.
2021 TEAM LEADERS MEETING
Last year we were not able to hold our annual Team Leaders meeting due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, AAHKS was able to virtually host the Team Leaders meeting on Saturday, June 26th. Team Leaders were updated about the AAHKS Central Board, learned current recommendations for team travel and COVID-19 safety from Operation Walk Syracuse’s Clinical Director Kimberley Murray, received a workshop on Fundraising & Social Media During a Pandemic from our very own Social Media Coordinator Cami Ward and Operation Walk WOGO’s Shawn Tylka, and the meeting culminated with a beautiful video tribute to our founder Dr. Lawrence Dorr. Operation Walk team leaders all over the country (and abroad) are eager to get back to operating the patients who have been awaiting life-changing surgery.
Looking Ahead to Guatemala
I have been an orthopaedic nurse for 12 years. I went to school at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas and worked in Dallas for several years before moving to Los Angeles. I learned about Operation Walk when Jeri Ward, R.N. was the keynote speaker at the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. At that moment, I immediately knew I wanted to get involved with Operation Walk.
Volunteer Spotlight: Stacy Kelso
So much happens behind the scenes year-round at the Operation Walk office and warehouse. Even when we are not traveling to help patients in need of joint replacement surgery, our months are busy with planning, organization, fundraising, and logistics. Thankfully, our dedicated volunteers are always there to lend a helping hand! This month we’re happy to introduce you to Stacy Kelso, who has taken on a more involved volunteer role with us this year.
How to Become an Angel
“Dear Angel, I do not know how I can ever thank you for helping me. I am far away, but I will never forget you. I suffered with pain in my hip for 6 years. I could barely get out of bed and could not stand for more than a few minutes. I had to stop washing clothes and cooking for my family because of the pain. I was embarrassed that my 15 year old son had to help me dress and use the bathroom.
Taking a New Step With Operation Walk
Hello! Alejandra here, I am the Administrative Assistant working behind the scenes every month to design and email our newsletter to all our wonderful supporters. I am very excited to announce that I will be taking the next step with Operation Walk this summer as an Administrative Coordinator. This new position will allow me to continue supporting our volunteer team and lead surgeons, patients, Board of Directors, and our colleagues abroad in a more involved capacity, ensuring the communication between all parties.
Being Brave
I was never the first one to jump in the water. But I was almost always pushed in, by a brother or some other scoundrel who did not care that I couldn’t swim. That is kind of how my work life was with Dr. Dorr. He pushed me (gently!) and didn’t give me time to hang by the side of the pool! He taught me to jump in and figure it out.
I have had to apply that lesson to figuring out how to safely get Operation Walk Los Angeles back to work. The pandemic set us back last year and for most of 2021, but it is time to jump in again. Yes, there are things to worry about (getting wet? Swallowing water?) but these are things that a strong team can figure out together.
RSVP to the Angel’s Luncheon
The Angels will meet again! The annual Operation Walk Angels’ Luncheon will be held on September 8th, 2021. So much has changed since our last luncheon. Tragically, we lost two of our leaders, Dr. Larry Dorr and Gayle Garner Roski. The pandemic changed the way we conducted our lives for over a year, but like the Phoenix, the Angels will rise from the ashes and continue the great work they were doing to help support the patients of Operation Walk.
Operation Walk Wish Bracelets
Imagine facing each morning with the certain knowledge that each step you take will be a painful one. Taking care of your loved ones, walking your children or grandchildren to school, making your way to work and laboring to provide for your family; each moment a struggle against a debilitating joint disease. Now imagine that the surgery that could change your life is out of reach.
For many people around the world this life is all too familiar. It is Operation Walk’s mission to reach as many of these individuals as possible, who suffer with chronic pain from bone and joint diseases, and provide them with a surgery that will change their lives. An all-volunteer group, our team gives their time and talents to perform knee and hip replacements at no cost to our patients.
You can help us in our fight against joint OPERATION WALK disease. When you order an Operation Walk Wish Bracelet, 100% of your donation goes to help us purchase the supplies, medications, implants, surgical equipment needed on our missions.
Each unique bracelet is lovingly handcrafted by Operation Walk Los Angeles volunteers. An individual bracelet is just $6 and bracelets can be purchased in groups of 5 for $25, groups of ten for $55, and groups of 20 for $115. Our bracelets make a beautiful and thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day, graduation, or to celebrate that special someone’s birthday or anniversary.
Order your Operation Walk Wish Bracelet today and help make someone’s wish come true.
Spotlight on Operation Walk Volunteer: Ava Baldwin
Ava’s volunteer service for Operation Walk began in 1996, when her husband Kyle Baldwin was selected to provide physical therapy on our first trip. She helped support the team, like so many families, by staying home and holding down the fort with child rearing, jobs, caring for elderly parents and maintaining the household, while our team went out on surgical missions to help others.
Having a Master’s Degree in Communication, Ava enjoys fundraising and procuring supplies, packing and organizing in the warehouse, and coordinating the Operation Walk Angel luncheons. Her favorite partof Operation Walk missions is interacting with patients and the team, and also trying not to butcher the Spanish language!