Often, we receive messages through our website, Facebook and Instagram pages, or in response to our newsletter requesting help. That help can be for a parent, a husband or wife, or the patient themselves. Through modern communication, we can connect these patients with local hospitals and sometimes are able to serve them during an Operation Walk Mission. Below is one such story.
Hello, I’m Marilyn Villaflor, the eldest daughter of potential patient, Leonida Villaflor.
My mother is 64 years old and was diagnosed with bilateral knee osteoarthritis last July. She was a housewife while our father worked as a carpenter. Since my three siblings and I were young, it was my mother who looked after us, attended to our needs and guided us through our studies. She is a perfect wife and a mother to us.
She first felt the pain in her knees back in 2011. At the start, she disregarded it thinking that it would just go away. The pain was consistent though not severe. Due to financial constraints, as my father was the only one working in our family and we were still students, our family was not able to have my mother checked by a medical doctor. At times she would self-medicate or go to an albularyo, a folk healer. As the pain continued to be consistent, we consulted different doctors; the pain would disappear but ultimately come back. Though she was in pain, she tried to live as normally as possible. She did her best to take care of us.
In July 2023, the pain in her knees progressed and we were referred by her internal medicine doctor to an orthopedist. She underwent x-rays on her knees and it was discovered that she has knee osteoarthritis and was advised to undergo total knee replacement. As we don’t have funds for that, my mother has been bedridden for a few months as she can no longer endure the pain whenever she attempts to stand.
As a daughter, it hurts to see my mother in that position. In October, while I was randomly searching on Facebook about osteoarthritis, hoping there would be an alternative solution aside from TKR, I bumped into a post from the Operation Walk page indicating that they would be traveling to the Philippines in 2024. I reached out to their page about my mother’s condition. I felt hope as it was like an answered prayer from God that there was a possibility that she could walk again. I resent my message after three weeks and then received a reply. Since then, I have been in coordination with the representatives, especially with team leader, Ms. Lisa Fujimoto, who has been actively responding to my emails.
We are praying that my mother could be one of those selected for surgery. We cannot wait to see her recover and live normally again. We want to make more memories with our parents and give back to them for all the sacrifices they’ve made. We hope to bring back the time this illness had stolen from us.
I am grateful to everybody who is part of the Operational Walk Team. Through your efforts, dedication, and commitment, you change the lives of those who are in need. Thank you so much. May God bless you all.