Give someone their first step back.
Right now, in our community and around the world, a mother, a grandfather, a neighbor is trapped in a body that won't carry them. We're building the team that will set them free — and we need you.
Recruiting founding board members, surgeons, nurses, sponsors and champions — today.
"I forgot what walking without pain felt like. Today I remembered."
The Need
Their pain has a name. So does the cure.
Hundreds of millions of people live with crippling hip and knee disease. The procedure that could give them their life back exists — they simply cannot reach it.
Operation Walk has changed that story for thousands of patients worldwide. Now we're bringing that story to Sierra Vista — and the first chapter starts with the people who say yes.
1 in 4
adults will face debilitating joint disease
$0
the cost to every patient we serve
100%
of your gift goes to the mission
Why It Matters
We're not raising money for a building. We're returning people to their lives.
A grandfather walks his granddaughter down the aisle.
Not in a wheelchair. On his own two feet.
A mother works again — and feeds her family.
Mobility isn't just medicine. It's a paycheck, a future, a household restored.
A neighbor sleeps through the night.
Without pain. Without dread. Without the chair by the door.
Mission & Vision
One clear purpose. One clear future.
Operation Walk: Sierra Vista supports international medical missions that restore mobility and dignity through free joint replacement surgery, while building local healthcare capacity through education and partnership.
A world where debilitating joint disease no longer prevents people from walking, working, caring for family, or living with dignity — simply because they lack access to surgery.
From the Field
Real patients. Real volunteers. Real first steps.
These photos are from an actual Operation Walk mission trip — the waiting rooms, the surgical teams, and the moments when someone stands up and walks again.
Want to be in the next photo? Join the team →
The Heart Behind the Mission
Meet Dr. Brian K. Daines, MD.
Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon · Adult Reconstruction · Humanitarian
For nearly two decades, Dr. Daines has traveled to Central America to provide free hip and knee reconstructions to people who have nowhere else to turn. A board-certified orthopedic surgeon with more than two decades of experience, he trained at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, completed his residency at the University of Washington, and pursued fellowship training in Adult Reconstruction at Colorado Joint Replacement in Denver.
Here at home, he practices at Canyon Vista Medical Group Orthopedics, where he helped earn a Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission for Total Hip and Knee Replacement. Before settling in Southern Arizona, he helped build two high-volume joint replacement programs in Southern Illinois — and now he's helping build Operation Walk: Sierra Vista.
"During one trip to Honduras, many patients recovered from surgery in a MASH tent. One of my patients had traveled the world looking for help — only to be turned away each time. Because of his disease, he could not turn his neck; as he lay in bed, he could only look at the ceiling. One morning I saw that someone had cared enough to turn his bed so he could look out the window. It was a small act of kindness that made a huge difference for him. That is what Operation Walk is to me… small acts of kindness that change people's lives."
"There is joy that comes from helping someone walk again that is deeply touching. I return home from each trip a much better person, a much humbler person, and a much more grateful person."
~20 yrs
of humanitarian missions to Central America
Columbia
medical doctorate & UW-trained surgeon
Gold Seal
Joint Commission approval for hip & knee
Dr. Daines on mission — from the operating room to the recovery tent.
How We Serve
Hands-on. Patient-first. Wherever the need leads.
Operation Walk has restored mobility to thousands of people around the world. Our Sierra Vista chapter joins that legacy — and carries it forward.
We go where we're needed
Partnering with established Operation Walk teams on international missions to reach patients who have nowhere else to turn.
Every surgery is free
Patients pay nothing. Not for the surgeon, the implant, the hospital, the recovery — nothing. Dignity is not for sale.
We leave more than memories
We share knowledge and skill with local doctors and nurses so the care continues long after the team flies home.
Sierra Vista is the heart
Our team, our donors, our volunteers — rooted here, serving the world. A small city doing something extraordinary.
Ways to Give
Whatever you bring, we need it.
This mission will be built by people who decide to use what they already have — their hands, their training, their network, their generosity — for someone else's first step.
Founding Board Member
Bring your gifts in governance, medicine, law, finance, or fundraising to a board that will define this chapter for decades.
Apply to serve →HealMedical Volunteer
Orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, PT/OT, surgical techs — your skills become someone's miracle.
Volunteer your skills →GiveSponsor a Surgery
Underwrite the implants, the OR time, the recovery. One gift. One life. Forever changed.
Sponsor a patient →BuildStrategic Partner
Hospitals, implant manufacturers, suppliers and civic organizations — partner with us and put your mission to work.
Partner with us →ChampionCommunity Ambassador
Share our story, host an event, open a door. Movements grow because people refuse to stay quiet.
Be a voice →StandFriend of the Mission
Not every gift is financial. Your encouragement and prayers carry this team. Stay close.
Stand with us →How We Show Up
The standards we live by.
These are the standards we hold ourselves to — in the operating room, in the board room, and in every conversation with a patient, donor, or partner.
Empowerment Through Knowledge
We don't only participate in missions. We transfer skill and capacity so local healthcare professionals are stronger after the team leaves.
Uncompromising Quality
We protect patients, donors, and partners through high standards in medical care, compliance, operations, and stewardship.
Partnership & Humility
We learn from mature Operation Walk chapters, support their systems, and grow only as our capacity and readiness mature.
Unconditional Giving
Patients pay nothing. Dignity is not for sale. Every gift is given freely, in full.
Restoring Mobility
Every decision we make is measured against one question: does this help someone walk?
Cultural Exchange
We meet every community as guests — to learn, to serve, and to leave relationships stronger than we found them.
One Question
Someone is waiting to walk again.
Will you help us reach them?
Send one email. Tell us who you are and what you'd like to bring. We'll take it from there — and you'll be part of giving someone their life back.
Say Hello
Tell us where you fit.
Board member, surgeon, sponsor, or simply a friend who believes everyone deserves to walk — introduce yourself and we'll reach out personally.
Prefer email? info@opwalksa.com