When one thinks of the work we do, it’s easy to imagine how appreciative our patients are of our effort. However, what often goes unseen are the families that support their loved ones during the surgery process.
These individuals have witnessed their suffering and have played significant roles in ensuring those in need received care. They understand exactly how badly their loved ones yearn to return to a normal life—contributing to society, feeling empowered, and regaining freedom through pain-free movement.
As a result, we want to take a moment to showcase the entirety of our impact and the outcome thanks to all our Operation Walk Supporters.
Team Member Spotlight
Amanda Pollard, on her fourth trip with Operation Walk Maryland, is a resident of Baltimore and an avid Ravens fan. She is a registered nurse within the Johns Hopkins Hospital System, Bayview Campus, and typically works the night shift.
On this trip, Amanda is one of the many superstars who help patients recover from surgery. Her homebase is on “the floor” where she shares her expertise with other nurses, physical therapists, physicians and of course, our beloved patients.
When asked how she ended up as a member of the annual Operation Walk Maryland team, Amanda replied, “I heard about it from a colleague. She told me it was both fun and rewarding and how helping patients in other countries was a completely different experience.”
When asked to elaborate, Amanda beamed, “The biggest difference is appreciation, it’s lifechanging for these individuals and often at a different level. The way they see the operation is different than what we see in the United States. The pain tolerance is different, often much higher, and for almost every one of these patients, they could have never envisioned being able to receive such care.”
It being her fourth trip, but first to Quito, we were particularly interested about her impressions here: “Every trip is different. Each experience is different, and even if we go to the same country, the experience is different. The patients here are amazing and the team is great. I will say, adapting to our environment here was a little interesting, and the delay at customs caused a ripple effect into our normal deployment process, but our team is incredibly adaptable.”
What would you say to someone that might be interested in Operation Walk Maryland? “It takes you out of our comfort zone, the hospitals we visit and the medicine is so different, not bad, just very different, and it makes me appreciate what we have at home while also stretching your personal and professional boundaries.”
You mentioned comfort zone, why is that important to you? “Being out of my comfort zone adds growth, makes me see and feel things differently. It even impacts my personal life; it makes me understand and see what we have at home differently. Operation Walk Maryland also serves as a catalyst to create bonds outside of my work life, seeing some of the same people each year, catching up, it’s truly an amazing experience.”
The Operation Walk Team enjoys each other’s company over breakfast before another day of transformative surgeries.