Miriam, fifty-three, discovered Operation Walk and their mission to relieve joint disease through her mother’s experience in 2011. Miriam brought her mother to Antigua because she was suffering severe knee pain due to arthritis. She received her first surgery that year and returned in 2013 to have her other knee operated. Today Miriam’s mother is doing well at seventy-five and takes care of her daughter and the household, since Miriam has succumbed to the same condition.

Ten years ago, out of the blue, pain struck Miriam in both knees. They were sore, swollen, and stiff, severely limiting her movement. Miriam attempts to help her mother with the household chores, getting up around 5:00 AM. But after several hours she is so exhausted by her effort and the pain in her knees that she must return to bed to recover.

Miriam says that she had lost all hope, thinking that for the rest of her life she would be a burden to others. Operation Walk came through just when she needed them most.

“I’m really happy about my surgery, because I saw what my mom went through and the results she had. I can’t wait to be able to contribute to my household again.”

She’s looking forward to receiving a second surgery and is hopeful that Operation Walk Pittsburgh will be able to operate on her right knee this fall so she may have the same results as her mother.