The events of 2020 presented Operation Walk Los Angeles with greater challenges than we had previously encountered. While no corner of our planet was untouched by the pandemic, it seemed to hit our organization particularly hard.
In March of 2020, when we made the difficult decision to cancel our scheduled trip to Nicaragua, we were frustrated. In October, when we finally decided to call off the fundraising gala, we were disappointed. In December, the passing of our founder and great leader, Dr. Lawrence D. Dorr left us heartbroken. Now, in March 2021, I am encouraged that Operation Walk is alive and well.
Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” One of Dr Dorr’s superpowers was his imagination. When we witnessed healthcare workers washing and reusing disposable gloves in Cuba, he imagined performing free hip and knee replacements for patients who were served by that medical facility. A year later, Operation Walk performed fifty joint replacements successfully in Cuba and Operation Walk was born.
In 2019, I went on what would be my last Operation Walk mission with Dr. Dorr 23 years after the first trip to Cuba. Original members of the Operation Walk team included Jeri Ward, Mary Ellen, and I. Dr. John Kumar, the newest board member and a Dorr fellow from 1994, was also invited.
On the night after the Operation Walk team arrived, we had dinner with Dr. Dorr. In his after-dinner speech, he reminded us that for the patients and their loved ones our mission is like a miracle that drops from the sky. He went on to say that although it is a miracle for those who receive the gift, those who take these trips receive even more.
Dr. Dorr left Cuba after the speech, without performing any operations or giving lectures. He took a photo under the shade tree that was planted in Havana the year that Operation Walk was born.
He imagined Operation Walk taking care of patients around the world without his hand on the scalpel. We performed 60 operations, gave lectures, donated valuable instruments and cemented positive relationships with the Cuban leaders who facilitate our mission of love.
Dr. Dorr did not really leave Cuba early in 2019. He had run a great leg of the relay and he had passed the baton. Together we have dedicated individuals who helped inspired 19 other teams to do this good work. The founding chapter of Operation Walk will continue its work by completing a mission to Guatemala in August 2021 and returning to Cuba in 2022. Operation Walk is in good hands.
– Dr. William Long