What Is Operation Walk?
Operation Walk was started in 1995 by Lawrence D. Dorr, M.D. in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Dorr is one of the leading joint replacement surgeons in the United States. On a teaching trip to Russia, Dr. Dorr had the idea that one of the best ways to teach physicians was to actually demonstrate the surgery. Dr. Dorr put together a team of surgeons, internal medicine doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses, and physical therapists and planned his first Operation Walk trip to Havana, Cuba. The connection was made through a former patient, Mr. Buddy Litten, and the program took its first step. The team spent eight months getting all of the implants, medications, surgical supplies, and postoperative supplies ready to be transported to Havana. The first trip was a success with 45 joints operated in a 3-day period. It was a very rewarding experience for the team, and of course, everyone was full of enthusiasm to plan the next trip. Over the next 10 years, 2 Operation Walk teams operated 6 times in Cuba, helping over 250 patients.
What We Do
Try to imagine being confined to a wheelchair or a lifetime of crutches and suddenly being able to walk again. This is what the people Operation Walk is trying to help are facing everyday. Operation walk provides life changing advanced orthopedic surgeries for people that suffer from advanced arthritis and other degenerative joint diseases. For these people even the most basic activities such as walking to the kitchen or standing from a chair are arduous tasks. Many of these people lose their livelyhoods because of their inability to get around or do everyday tasks.
With help from our amazing volunteer medical team, donated supplies, and gracious financial donations, Operation Walk can provide free joint replacement surgeries to people in developing countries where advanced surgical techniques and medical procedures are unavailable.