Members of Endeavor Health’s orthopaedic team traveled to Nepal on a medical mission with Operation Walk Chicago in November 2024.
Ravi Bashyal, MD, orthopaedic surgeon with Endeavor Health, is an active volunteer and board member with Operation Walk Chicago, a charitable organization that provides free hip and knee replacements to needy patients in developing countries around the world.
Operation Walk Chicago was founded by Drs. David Stulberg and Victoria Brander in 2005. Dr. Bashyal has led the work of this group at Nepal Orthopaedic Hospital (NOH) in Kathmandu, Nepal.
On this trip, Dr. Bashyal cared for a 24-year-old patient in severe pain with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, whose left knee was basically unbendable, and the other knee could not bend more than 90 degrees. Post-surgery, after a double knee replacement, he noted how she was now able to walk, sit and function with a healthy range of motion without pain.
“What really struck me when I walked in the room is she was she was sitting on the side of her bed with her legs casually bent, just like any of us would do normally,” Dr. Bashyal said. “This is really compelling to me. This is what it’s all about. Something as simple as sitting on the side of a bed was impossible for her for years.”
Every patient the team saw has a story and has had a life that was impacted by an inability to walk normally.
“We’re really grateful to be able to do this and we thank Endeavor Health for their support in allowing us to do this easily,” Dr. Bashyal said.
