Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010 - (Page 56)

Joint Ventures Operation Walk Denver steps up By Suzy DeVerS V olunteer physicians from Operation Walk Denver, a nonprofit medical organization, had come to Delfina’s remote village in Nicaragua to help. Speaking through a translator, she had just one question for Douglas A. Dennis, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and volunteer. “Will the operation allow me to have a baby?” It’s an unlikely question to ask an orthopedic surgeon, but at age 37, Delfina suffered from a congenital hip dislocation that forced her legs to scissor inward, making natural childbirth impossible. So without the funds for a cesarean section, she’d remained childless. Call To volunteer or contribute, call Operation Walk at 303-715-7605. Help Us Help Others Dreams Come True “With a congenital hip dislocation, the ball of the hip joint is out of its socket, and the socket never develops normally. As years pass, it can become very painful,” says Dennis, co-medical director of the Joint Replacement Center at Porter Adventist Hospital and executive director and founder of Operation Walk Denver. Dennis met with Delfina to assess her suitability for a complex hip replacement surgery that would straighten her legs, relieve her pain, restore her mobility and allow her to deliver a child. For Delfina, and dozens of other Nicaraguans with degenerative joint diseases, this day was a dream come true. The organization also educates local orthopedic surgeons and health care providers about the latest treatment options. Founded in 1994 by a small group of compassionate health care providers, Operation Walk has since operated on hundreds of patients in Russia, Cuba, Nepal, China, the Philippines, Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico and the United States, with upcoming missions planned for Guatemala and Panama. reTurn To joy Dennis returned to Nicaragua 20 months after Delfina’s operation to find her a transformed woman. No longer in excruciating pain—or heartbroken— Delfina cradled a beautiful 4-month-old daughter in her arms. She then gently handed the baby to Dennis. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” Dennis says. “I promise you, I benefit much more from our mission work than my patients do.” making a DifferenCe The volunteer physicians perform from 60 to 80 joint replacements per mission. Each mission costs approximately $100,000, excluding the artificial joint implants (donated by DePuy, a Johnson & Johnson Company) and the surgical supplies donated by Colorado Joint Replacement, Porter Adventist Hospital and the Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation. Douglas A. Dennis, M.D., orthopedic surgeon with Porter Adventist Hospital and executive director and founder of Operation Walk Denver WorlDly Wise Operation Walk provides free joint replacements to individuals living in developing countries who suffer from debilitating arthritis and other degenerative joint diseases. 56 Vim & Vigor • Fa l l 2 010 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010

Vim &_Vigor - Fall 2010
Contents
Nurturing Health
For Your Health
Network of Care
Study Skills
What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet?
See the Future
The Female Factor
Take a Bite Out of Stress
Starring Role
Shouldering the Pain
Train Your Brain
What Now?
Choose Your Own Adventure
Vein Pain
The Ultimate Gift
Better Bones
Relatively Speaking
Joint Ventures

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010

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