Dr. Sam Sydney, practicing with the Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland division, traveled to India with 52 medical professionals from the Maryland region, to provide 61 total knee and joint replacements in just three days for people in desperate physical and financial need.  The Mission was part of Operation Walk, a volunteer medical service organization that provides free surgical treatment for patients in developing countries and in the United States suffering from disabling arthritis and other debilitating bone and joint conditions.

More than 500 residents of the Punajbi region were screened to determine who were most urgently in need, and services including preoperative care, surgery, postoperative treatment, and physical therapy was then provided.

Dr. Sydney describes the depth of gratitude he felt from the patients he served, noting that one man compared it to “winning the lottery” because he would be able to walk, so he could work again to feed his family.

Dr. Sydney urges other associates and physicians to consider it themselves.

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