I have been involved with Operation Walk Virginia for 7 years and am so proud to be on this amazing team! The amount of positive change we bring in just a week's time is astonishing. In one week our team is able to perform operations for up to 70 joint replacement surgeries! This means that someone who would otherwise never be able to afford these surgeries (either a hip or knee replacement surgery to replace a painful arthritic joint) is able to regain movement and painfree living! For many this means being able to provide for their family again but for all it means their painful arthritic joint is no longer there to give them pain. I encourage you to check us out on Facebook at Operation Walk-Virginia to see videos, pictures and just to keep up with what we are doing! We are heading to Panama in the Spring of 2018 to bring life-changing surgeries to the impoverished people in need!
Review from Guidestar
This team of doctors, nurses, and volunteers are currently (01/16/2017) in my country, Bolivia. They've done more bad than good for the ill people. It is a shame how these professionals of the health have no compassion at all of the sick people and they were willing to work together with the vicious socials organizacions in my country like DOVOSAN and Rotary Club Santa Cruz. They together destroyed all the hope of thousands of people that came from remote areas of the country to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
DAVOSAN, and Rotary Club announced to the whole country that these American doctors would be in Bolivia doing hip and knee replacement surgery for people that qualify. So people came to Santa Cruz City to the "San Juan de Dios" Hospital from all over the country doing the biggest sacrifices, looking for their help. They spent the little money they had, having all the tests done, X-Ray (all only allow to do it at DAVOSAN and at the "San Juan de Dios Hospital), wellness check ups with the cardiologist, heart tests, etc. TWICE, in October/2016 and again in January/2017. They made to all the ill people (Thousands) donate blood, three donors for each one and on top of that they charge Bs. 500.00 per person FOR DONATING BLOOD!!! THEY PAID this fee to the hospital "San Juan de Dios." They where waiting on line for hours an days, doing all kind of sacrifices with the hope to be seen for the American Doctors and have the opportunity to have the surgery. The people from DAVOSAN, Rotary Club, the doctors encharged to help with the pacients from the hospital "San Juan de Dios", and the Operation Walk team betrayed all these poor people. They never told them that they would perform the surgery only for the people that was in the waiting list form last year, and for people that have influences among the directors of DAVOSAN and Rotary Club Santa Cruz, Bolivia, or from this church that donated a lot of money to the foundation and recommended HIS MEMBERS to the American doctors or for people that was handling THOUSANDS OF DOLLAR IN CASH, in their hands, ready to give this money to the American doctors. Nobody told to the ill people that, that only this kind of people finally will qualify or have preference for Dr. Fricka and his team, that they are the one that have the ultimate decision. These American doctors accept people to have the surgery, that they didn't even follow the same procedures or requirements that the thousands of poor people did months before, neither they were prepared for the surgery, Sunday 01/15/2017. One person approached to my family member and ask about his type of blood so he can have the blood that the donors of my family member did three months ago. He said that he was accepted for the American doctors and he needed the blood. Then...how do they explain that? Now this is another issue. Are they will give back the blood donated? Hundreds of liters? Is the hospital, doctors etc. will donate to others this blood or they will do business charging for this blood that was donated for thousands of people that they betrayed? Remember in the hospital " San Juan de Dios" like any other hospital, NOTHING IS FREE.
Finally at the end of all this foolish and sad situation, thousand of hearts, feelings, illusions, hope, people, and entired families all destroy,
PLEASE, DO NOT SUPPORT this non profit foundation OPERATION WALK VIRGINIA. This is a foolish organization. They go to South America and work with people that can give good amount of dollar in donation or have big influences. Poor people in need that are thousands of them are rejected without any compassion.
Please SHERD this information with others. Helps to stop this foolish organization.