Operation Walk Los Angeles

Thoughts from Havana: This morning we wanted to share heartfelt thanks from patient Jose Estrada, right hip recipient, and his family. Jose's brother explains just what Operation Walk means not only to patients who receive surgery, but to their families and the community as a whole. Thank you for supporting our mission to restore mobility. Together we change lives. https://lnkd.in/gHiFz6u5

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving. We're grateful to have each and every one of you as a part of our #opwalkfamily. Thank you for your partnership in our mission to #restoremobility to those who need it most. Together we have changed 88 lives this year through the gift of joint replacement surgery. #thanksgiving2024

Join us for a week of gratitude and giving as Operation Walk celebrates?#GivingTuesday. Together we can?#changelivesin25?through joint replacement surgery. Click the link to give now and help someone receive a second chance at life! https://operationwalk.org

Together, we can change lives.... and those lives just might be our own. #WednesdayWisdom

We remember their names. Patients who are unable to receive the joint replacements they so desperately need. People who are still waiting for their miracles. #GivingTuesday is just one short week away. This year, on Tuesday, December 3rd, we ask that you help make those miracles happen. A donation to Operation Walk, no matter the size, assures that we can return to partner hospitals around the world and provide these life changing surgeries to all patients who are medically cleared for them. Don't wait, give today and let's #changlivesin25. Together, we make a difference. https://lnkd.in/gHiFz6u5

Today's #MondayMotivation comes from volunteer Paulette Labipuno RN. Paulette was asked to be a part of our team as a PACU nurse but was very flexible and served as one of the hardest working cirrculating nurses we have even been graced with on a mission. Thank you Paulette for your dedication, energy, and heart. "We had some challenges during this mission due to Hurricane Rafael. Power grids were down which caused loss of power/electricity, limited fuel for transportation and poor cellphone service. But with our team’s resilience, dedication & camaraderie, we were able to perform surgeries for 51 patients and helped change their quality of life. I’m grateful & blessed to continue volunteering in these yearly medical missions with my daughter Kaitlyn Martinez. Thank you to all the Cuban hospital staff for welcoming and helping us during this mission."

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we are reminded of how grateful everyone at Operation Walk is for all you do to make us the successful organization we are today. Our donors and followers have supported us through two mission trips in 2024, to General Santos City in the Philippines and Havana, Cuba. You also helped us through mail-in campaigns and small fundraisers generate money for future trips, allowing us to help relieve joint diseases and restore mobility around the world. With your love, dedication, and support you help us to reach the people who need us the most both here at home and abroad. Helping people to regain their mobility and independence is truly a remarkable achievement, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We look forward to the year ahead and to your continued support. https://lnkd.in/gHiFz6u5

Today's #SaturdaySpotlight features Elsa, a recipient of a left knee replacement. Elsa tells us what life was life before surgery, where she is now, and where she hopes the future leads her. Thank you Elsa for sharing your journey, we wish you all the best in your recovery. #opwalk4cuba Before the pain: Elsa loved being active. Playing basketball and riding bikes were favorite activities. When the pain hit: For more than 12 years the pain kept increasing, chipping away at her “normal” life. She couldn’t sleep and found herself dependent on medication to just get through the day. She said that was no life, no way to live. After Knee Replacement Surgery: Elsa can walk without the stabbing pain she has lived with for over a decade. Her greatest dream is to dance again and regain her quality of life. Her thoughts to donors: “The actions we do to better people’s lives is something not many do. This is what Operation Walk does, has done for years. I hope you never stop giving of yourselves, your hearts. I'm extremely thankful for all you have done for me.”

It's #firstfriday and time to hear from a first-time OpWalk volunteer and new member of the #opwalkfamily. Today we feature Kathy Kilaghbian, physical therapist. Thank you Kathy for helping our patients get on the road to recovery! “My name is Kathy and I am a physical therapist. I want to thank all of you for inviting me to be a part of this amazing team. I have been feeling a bit isolated working solely in home healthcare and I had forgotten how meaningful it is to work together along side my colleagues towards a common goal. I was so taken with the warmth, love, and positive attitude of the Cuban people. That made my job a joy to do. All of the people I met will be in my heart forever, this has been one of the best experiences of my life. I am so thankful to all of you, my fellow volunteers, for making me feel so welcome. I hope I have the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful organization again.” -Kathy Kilaghbian #opwalk4cuba

It's #ThankfulThursday! Today we share a message from patient, Jose A Sobrado. Jose received a hip replacement on our latest mission to Havana, Cuba. Thank you Jose for your trust in us and your enthusiasm for recovery.