High school students, Casey and Zach Woodson, attend St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. For the past several years they have been helping volunteer, Ava Baldwin, with projects and fundraising for Operation Walk Los Angeles.

The boys come from a family that is grounded in health care. Their father is an orthopedist and their mother is an OB/GYN. They’ve been raised in an atmosphere that stresses volunteering and family service to the community.

The weekend before our Angel’s Luncheon, the brothers worked together to help assemble welcome gifts for our attendees. Many thanks to Ava for organizing these thoughtful party favors and Casey and Zach for helping to make them into a beautiful presentation. We love seeing young volunteers come together and help our organization in a variety of creative ways. Together we continue our mission to restore mobility around the world.

Embarking on a mission trip to General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines to perform free total hip and knee replacement surgeries fills me with unparalleled excitement and purpose. There's an undeniable joy in giving back to a community in need, in embodying generosity beyond measure, and in prioritizing the welfare of others above oneself. 

Working alongside a team dedicated to this cause amplifies the impact, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared mission. I want to thank the almost 60 people who gave up their personal time and paid their own way to get there, as well as the local Filipino team who is making things possible for us to help patients in need. 

The challenges of operating in new territories only heighten our resourcefulness. We are pushed to creatively utilize the tools and materials at hand to deliver quality care. The importance of teamwork in Operation Walk cannot be overstated. In this endeavor, every incision represents not just a medical procedure, but a gesture of hope and solidarity, illustrating the profound beauty of compassion in action.

Trish Lindsey RN, Team Leader.

Readying the supplies for the upcoming mission to the Philippines continues. A group of volunteers met this past Sunday to make sure the cargo is ready for shipment as soon as possible to guarantee all materials will be ready this summer. 

Team members sorted and packaged items and goods already at the warehouse, organized pallets for easier packing and loading of the remaining cargo, and began updating and preparing patient charts. Many thanks to the volunteers listed below for donating their time to ensure that Operation Walk Los Angeles will be ready to restore mobility this summer.

Volunteers

Paulina Andujo RN

Chenney Botones

Rudy Costales

Dr Dan Chivas

Lisa Fujimoto-Yamaguchi PA

Mary Ann Guarin

Zachary Jones

Stacy Kelso

Boreum Kim

Trish Lindsey RN

Theresa Murphy

Jim Sieben

Mary Ellen Sieben RN

Ana Vasquez

 Coleen Daughtery RN

One of our favorite things about Operation Walk is the chance to invite new volunteers to participate and introduce them to our mission. We would like to introduce Coleen Daughtery RN, get to know more about her and why volunteering for our upcoming mission has a special meaning.

As a Filipino Nursing international student (F-1 student visa) in the USA 22 years ago, I’ve always wanted to give back and share my God-given talents with those who cannot repay me. Seventeen years later as an RN, that dream will soon be realized. July can’t come soon enough.

I’m really looking forward to this very impactful week, where we can see lives changed and be a part of it. There is something powerful, transforming and fulfilling about giving without expecting anything in return.

Special thanks to Trish Lindsey RN. We go way back from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago but hadn’t seen each other since 2014. Last year, during the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses conference in April, we randomly ran into each other in the conference hall and that’s how I learned about Operation Walk. The minute she started talking about the organization, it truly hit me and felt like a door of opportunity started to open. I said to myself that this would be a remarkable way to do my very first medical mission, volunteering back in my homeland, the Philippines. I expressed my interest to Trish and the rest is history. 

Thank you, Operation Walk Los Angeles, for this incredible opportunity for volunteers to be able to utilize our gifts and serve others with life-changing effects. 

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.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, our Family Segment features mother and daughter team, Paulette Labinpuno RN and Kaitlyn Martinez PTA. Paulette and Kaitlyn traveled with our team to Arusha, Tanzania this past summer and experienced volunteering together for the first time. Read more about how this mission made a lasting impact on them both.

“A recent college graduate student with an interest in healthcare, I wanted to learn and build my experience by traveling abroad and being a part of a medical mission. This being my first experience, I was very nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. My time in Tanzania involved new challenges for me: being in a new environment, having responsibilities towards a new community, our own health & safety, and language barriers. 

I wasn’t expecting to volunteer on this particular medical mission but my mom surprised me saying ‘You’re going on this medical mission with me to Africa.’ I was hesitant but knew I was ready. 

I’m grateful my mom decided to include me in this trip. Although we worked in different areas of the hospital, I was excited to hear about her day-to-day experiences. We both met wonderful people and created these awesome friendships that could last a lifetime!

After returning home, I am super glad I was part of this whole experience. To be a member of the physical therapy team was amazing and helping patients walk after their surgeries made me so happy at the end of the day.”

Kaitlyn Martinez

Physical Therapy Assistant

“Initially, the reason I wanted to volunteer with my daughter was to guide her in her chosen career path, taking care of people who need medical help. I wanted Kaitlyn to experience hands-on in caring for patients who are less fortunate and see a part of the world where life isn’t so easy when you don’t have financial means. 

I loved working with my daughter. It was an unforgettable experience to be able to make rounds together on the surgical unit, checking on our post-operative patients. The main thought I took home with me was that Kaitlyn and I share the same passion helping patients who need medical assistance. I was one PROUD momma to have worked alongside my daughter during our Tanzania medical mission and will remember this time together for the rest of my life.” 

Paulette Labinpuno RN

Pre and Post Oppressive Care 

Mother, Mommy, Mama Madre, Mama, Me, Mazi, Ama, Mǔqīn, Ina:

in any language, ”Mom" means love. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of our patients, colleagues, and volunteers. Thank you for your wisdom, your kindness, and your nurturing spirit. Wishing you all a day that is as special as you are.

This month’s Time Machine takes us back twenty-one years ago to our 2003 mission to Lima, Peru. Thirty-eight patients received the gift of mobility through life-changing surgery.

Do you have a photo or memory to share about a past trip? Send your thoughts and images to cami@operationwalk.org and you could be featured in our next newsletter!

2024 Operation Walk Los Angeles Angels