The patient screening area was the quietest ever in Antigua, Guatemala. In an area that is usually bustling with family and friends of hopeful patients, now hopeful patients sat alone, worried that they had no one to share their fate with. Would they be eligible for surgery? The pandemic cast its shadow on all that were gathered. Now it wasn’t just a matter of their need of a knee replacement, but they had to pass a COVID screening to even be considered for surgery. They would have to pass again 24 hours before their operation. There was no question about wearing a mask…
Each one of them was masked, 6 feet apart, and diligently washing and sanitizing their hands. The friendly smiles of the Operation Walk team were hidden behind masks, but our eyes were shining with kindness and hope that each patient would be selected. This mission presented additional challenges for our team. Team members who were not vaccinated were dropped from the mission. Not only to protect the patients, but to protect other team members as well. We scrambled to get COVID tested within 72 hours of departure, then got organized to test again before returning to the U.S., concerned about the safety of our families and colleagues.
With a minimal team of 40 people, we safely operated 34 total knee replacements over a 3 day period. We had restrictions on how many patients could be on the post-op ward at once. The patients knew this and were up walking within hours of surgery, ready to go home the next day in order to open a bed for another post-op patient. The cooperation and teamwork was amazing. Our team was incredibly brave, heading out to do their work during the pandemic, on patients who had waited 2 additional years to get their operation. These efforts showed us that Operation Walk is sorely needed and that our team members are willing to work around the “new normal.” Viruses are not going away, nor are they going to stop us from doing the charitable work that we do. We have found a safe way to provide care and to improve the quality of life for others.
The entire time we were working, it was like Dr. Larry Dorr was there with us. He was always so brave and positive. Many team members said they expected him to walk around the corner at any time! That was not to be, but we carried on his legacy and will continue his work.
Please stay tuned for more highlights, patient, and team member stories from Guatemala in newsletters and social media updates to come.