Spring 2022 Update

In October of this year, Operation Walk Canada will return to La Antigua, Guatemala – our first mission since 2019 and the pandemic shutdowns. The team is enthusiastic and eager to get back to our work.

In preparation, our small screening team travelled to Guatemala in early May to assess potential surgical patients. We reviewed 80 patients, approximately 70 of whom are scheduled for either hip or knee replacement surgery this October. Of these patients, several will require bilateral procedures – our work cut out for us! It’s worthwhile to mention that, even though we have been accustomed to seeing serious joint disease at these clinics, the number of patients with severe, significantly debilitating and complex problems of both hip and knee was considerably higher than in previous years – a fact which underscores the extent of the need for our help.

During the past two years, our host hospital in Guatemala, Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro has undergone tremendous improvement and expansion of its operating room and post-operative areas. Our screening team was very impressed with the upgrades which will make our missions more efficient and as well, enable Obras and the teams it accommodates to provide care for more patients in the future.

Plans are also underway to hold a patient assessment clinic in in Cuenca, Ecuador in October of this year preparation for our mission scheduled there in May of 2023.

We will keep you updated as we proceed with plans for Guatemala 2022 and Ecuador 2023 and, as always, look forward to your continued support which makes our missions possible.