As many of you know I received new knees a few months ago, having had both replaced within 8 weeks of each other at the end of Oct. and again on Dec. 20th. It was during this time that I first heard about Operation Walk.
Three days before my first surgery my Dr. was in Honduras. When I inquired why, he told me about Operation Walk, his mission to travel twice a year, all over the world to under developed countries with his medical team to perform knee & hip operations. These operations are performed free of charge for some of the most dire cases needing joint replacements such as I had.
Many of these people are unable to walk, and are not able to work in their rural communities, where much of the labor is physical. These people have no means by which to help themselves or get the medical attention they need, and many cannot care for their own families due to their severe medical conditions.

I was very taken by the work the surgical team at USC was doing and was compelled to find out how I could be part of their team in a photo journalistic capacity.
I am thrilled to say that I will be part of the next mission that is going on Operation Walk to Central America, in Antigua, Guatemala in August!
I will be accompanying the orthopedic surgeons from USC Keck Medical Center & their team. I will be chronicling the events photographically, pre, during & post the surgeries, day by day, and helping out in any capacity I can with the set up and organization of the pre & post op. 
Between 60 and 100 surgeries are performed in one week and 100 % of the work is volunteer. All of the medical supplies necessary to perform these operations are donated to the patients and flown in to the countries being served.
Every member of the team pays for their own transportation & and is asked to raise a minimum of $1,500 to help fund the supplies and things necessary to make this trip happen.

It was because I was incredibly fortunate to have an amazing orthopedic surgeon and his team work on me both times that I had the good fortune to recover so quickly.
I have had many reconstructive surgeries over the years that have given me the ability to live my life as fully as possible, and continue to do most of the things I love. It was a small miracle to me to be back riding my bike less than 3 weeks after my 1stsurgery and dancing the night away on New Years Eve, only 13 days after my second knee replacement.
Though I have had my challenges, I feel grateful to live in a country where I have access to the best doctors and medical care in the world. It is heartening to know that others will be given the same opportunity to be mobile again, and free from excruciating pain.
I would appreciate any help you can give in any amount to help toward this mission. Your tax-deductible donation will be used directly for helping fund the trip, patient medical supplies & expenses. I hope to raise $1,500 within the next 30 days.
Thank you for being part of this humanitarian organization and supporting me in my first mission with Operation Walk!
 
With love and good health,
 
Raquel