Kyle Baldwin, DPT, has volunteered with Operation Walk Los Angeles since its first mission in 1997. He has helped hundreds of patients navigate recovery after joint replacement and trained physical therapists both in the United States and in our host countries. Thank you, Dr. Baldwin, for your dedication and heart.
“I started working at USC as a physical therapist in 1992, a month before Dr. Dorr’s arrival, and began working with him and his total joint replacement team right away. I was personally and professionally dedicated to our program from the beginning at USC, so it seemed like a natural fit to be invited on that first mission to Cuba.
The experience was everything I thought it would be. At USC, we had a high standard that was patient-focused and outcome-driven. We were also used to working with high volumes of surgical patients in a teaching environment.
I’ve always felt that our team is patient-focused. The last patient of the day deserves the same intensity and care as the first. Dr. Dorr and the team never wavered from this work ethic, and I carry this same effort in my practice every day. Taking care of patients is a great responsibility but incredibly rewarding.
The reason that keeps me volunteering is the sense of pride and accomplishment upon my return from a mission. It’s normal to take movement and mobility for granted until you lose or struggle with it. I learned that a surgery on one patient can have not only a profound positive effect on them but also on their family and community. Hip and knee replacement surgery truly resets the “I’m Living Again” button.
This will be my 11th mission, but I’ve not been back to Cuba since the inaugural trip. I’m looking forward to working with my teammates, meeting my Cuban colleagues, taking care of patients, making new friends, and seeing Dr. Dorr’s tree that he planted in 1997. I hope to puff on a cigar and give a big rum toast to my friends and mentors….Jeri Ward, RN and Larry Dorr, MD.”
Fight on!
Kyle Baldwin DPT