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.”