Arturo is sixty-nine years old and has depended his whole life on farming to support his family. He said that he lacked a formal education when he was growing up, and worked on neighboring farms until he could purchase a small plot of land for his own. Farming is all he has ever known.
Several years ago, Arturo began to have intense pain in his knees. Morning was the worst, making it almost impossible for him to do his chores. He depends on a self-fashioned walking-stick to be able to get around, depending on his son to keep the farm going for the past year.
He checked with local doctors to see what could be done about his knees. They told him that surgery would cost over $20,000 quetzales which is equivalent to $2,600 US. He felt like getting surgery would be impossible until he met a volunteer at his church who referred him to Operation Walk.
Arturo is eager to recover from surgery so he can step up and work alongside his son on the farm he has worked so hard to build. He is beyond thankful for Operation Walk’s help and for the OPWalk Angel that helped to provide his surgery.
Last year, he lost the sight in his right eye, so writing a thank-you to his “Angel” was difficult, but it was a task he needed to complete. Thanking the person who helped to change his life was too important to pass up.
