Sometimes life can change overnight. And so it happened with ailing arthritis patients like Amar Kaur, Nirmal Kaur, Amrit Pal Singh, Suresh Kumari and many other poor patients who were provided free joint replacements and surgeries last month as part of Operation Walk Maryland. Operation Walk is a private, not-for-profit volunteer medical organization that provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art free hip and knee replacements for impoverished patients suffering from disabling arthritis or other debilitating bone and joint conditions. Zimmer, a worldwide leader in musculoskeletal care, donated the implants for these surgeries.
For nearly a quarter of a century, Amar Kaur, suffered from arthritis and was in severe pain and almost bedridden through this period. Then her husband found out that Operation Walk was in town to perform joint replacement surgeries on people in need of such operations and she registered. An operation was performed on both her knees and the very next day she was made to walk. Now the 64-year-old walks around with a walker. Amar's daughter-in-law looks back on how she had seen Amar suffering for all of the 20 years that she has been married and says that this is the first time she is seeing her mother-in-law walk. Amar says, “I can’t believe I am walking again. It’s a miracle.” She looks forward to doing her household chores and start going to the Gurudwara again.
Nirmal Kaur, a patient of osteoarthritis, was immobile for over a decade and she was mostly dependant on painkillers. “I knew that a knee replacement was the only way to get rid of the pain but where was the money?” she asks. She takes a calculated step and says, “Had it not been for the team of doctors from the US, I would be still confined to bed and popping countless number of painkillers.”
For Amrit Pal Singh (60), who had his right knee replaced and is showing improvement, it is getting a better job that is important. “I am the sole breadwinner in my family and because of the pain in my right knee I was not able to get a decent job in the last couple of years. But now after the operation, I am confident that I will be able to find a better job. I can feel the difference.”
As for the Operation Walk team of over 50 who made all the difference, the most rewarding part is the gratitude of the patients. While recalling the technically challenging case of a Jain saint, Dr Harpal S. Khanuja, Director - Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery, The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics and medical director of Operation Walk, says, “Each person had a unique story and I am glad we could help so many.” He further adds, “Many have wonderfully strong personalities that have let them live so long with pain.”
The surgeons at DMC Hospital, who were instrumental in making the medical camp a success, coordinated the efforts before the team arrived from the US. The surgeons at DMCH also conducted the camps for the initial screening. During the surgeries, they observed and assisted the team.
For Zimmer that donated implants such as Nex Gen LPS knees and ML taper, triliogy THR, it is about sharing the mission of the Operation Walk team to alleviate pain and restore mobility to patients. “We are proud to be a part of Operation Walk and by donating the implants necessary to perform these surgeries, we will help transform the lives of these patients, without the burden of chronic pain,” said Sanjay Banerjee, Managing Director, Zimmer India Pvt ltd.
And this is not where it ends. There will be a follow up trip in a few months. “And then Operation Walk Maryland will return every other year if not sooner,” informs Dr Khanuja.
Archie Bandyopadhyay
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