Our mission / Antigua 2026
A shared purpose.
A first step.
Hip and knee replacement care. Georgia expertise and local partnership, together in Antigua, Guatemala.
Where it began
From an idea
to Antigua.
Drs. George N. Guild III and Thomas L. Bradbury Jr., orthopedic surgeons with Total Joint Specialists, founded the American Hip and Knee Arthritis Foundation and Operation Walk Georgia after taking part in a similar effort in El Salvador.
That experience inspired them to bring a team to Guatemala. The first mission took place June 26 – July 3, 2026, at Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro in Antigua.
Operation Walk Georgia is a Georgia chapter of the Operation Walk movement. The 2026 mission was sponsored by AHKAF, the American Hip and Knee Arthritis Foundation.
Meet the team
Before the first operation
Months of work.
A week of care.
Drs. Guild and Bradbury pre-screened patients in March 2026. In March and April, supplies were packed at Zimmer Biomet’s warehouse.
The shipment became 19 pallets after customs split one dangerous-goods pallet into two. At Obras, the team unpacked supplies and set up three operating rooms on the first full day.
Clinic brought together pre-selected surgical candidates and many walk-ins hoping to be seen.
The 2026 mission
One week.
Every part connected.
- June 26
Unpack & prepare
Unpacking at Obras. Equipment and supplies brought into place for the mission.
- June 27
Clinic & selection
Pre-operative evaluations for pre-selected candidates and walk-ins.
- June 28 – July 1
Surgery & recovery
The surgery period recorded in the team’s recap, with care continuing through the wards and rehabilitation.
The team’s recap supplies these calendar dates. The MDatl account describes the first operations after clinic, followed by three full surgery days.
Skill. Flexibility. Teamwork.
Beyond the
original goal.
The week included complex cases, including a Girdlestone procedure and bilateral joint replacements. When power failed in the operating rooms, surgery briefly continued by phone flashlight.
As the team passed its target of 66 surgeries, patients from the waiting list were added to the schedule. By the end of the mission, 72 joint replacements had been completed.
Explore the impact