The Brief
- A group of Tampa Bay-based medical volunteers just returned from Guatemala, where they performed more than 70 life-changing joint replacement surgeries for free.
- The nonprofit, Operation Walk Florida, led by retired orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kenneth Gustke, brings full surgical teams and equipment to communities with little access to care.
- Volunteers say the mission transforms not only patients’ lives but their own, as many families gain renewed hope after years of pain and limited mobility.
TAMPA – A team of about 65 medical professionals from across Florida is back home this week after completing a week-long medical mission in Antigua, Guatemala, where they helped dozens of patients walk again.
The group, known as Operation Walk Florida, performed 71 hip and knee replacement surgeries at no cost to the patients. Many of the recipients had lived with severe arthritis and limited mobility for years.
“It changes their life,” said Dr. Kenneth Gustke, the organization’s founder and a retired orthopedic surgeon from Tampa. “But we’re not just helping the patient—we’re helping the whole family.”
The trip was to Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro Hospital, a central facility where some patients traveled four to eight hours to reach care.
The backstory:…