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Antigua, Guatemala 2026: 72 joint replacements in one week

June 26 – July 3, 2026: the first Operation Walk Georgia mission to Obras in Antigua, Guatemala, completed 72 joint replacements, passing its goal of 66.

The Operation Walk Georgia team gathers beneath a stained-glass window at Obras.

From June 26 to July 3, 2026, the first Operation Walk Georgia mission brought a team of Atlanta area medical professionals to Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro ("Obras") in Antigua, Guatemala. By the end of the week, the team had completed 72 joint replacements, passing its goal of 66.

Months of preparation

Drs. George N. Guild III and Thomas L. Bradbury Jr., orthopedic surgeons with Total Joint Specialists, 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. MDatl reported that the pallets carried surgical supplies, medications, walkers, canes and other medical equipment, along with the surgical implants, all donated by Zimmer Biomet.

The week at Obras

  • June 26: unpacking at Obras. On the first full day, the team set up three operating rooms.
  • June 27: clinic. Pre-selected surgical candidates and many walk-ins were seen for pre-operative evaluations.
  • June 28 – July 1: surgery, with care continuing through the wards and rehabilitation.

Beyond the original goal

The week included complex cases: a Girdlestone procedure for a patient with severe spastic cerebral palsy, a bilateral hip replacement, seven bilateral knee replacements and one combined hip-and-knee replacement. 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.

"What this team pulled off last week was truly extraordinary. Together, we completed 72 joint replacements in one week—but more importantly, we changed lives for many patients and their families who otherwise would not have had access to this care. It was one of the most impressive team efforts I've ever been a part of."

Dr. George Guild, in MDatl

The team

Thirteen Total Joint Specialists orthopedic surgeons took part, led by Drs. Guild and Bradbury. Dr. Vinai M. Vishwanath of Emory Healthcare served as the anesthesiologist, overseeing a team of CRNAs. Dr. Mario E. Ravry of Ravry Medical Group, who is fluent in Spanish, provided internal medicine and translation.

Around them were physician assistants, nurses, scrub techs, physical therapists, athletic trainers, a sterilization team, translators and logistics staff. Meet the team

Thank you to our partners

Zimmer Biomet and Medline were the mission's largest donors. Home Care Pharmacy secured the trip's medications and provided them at cost. See our partners

What comes next

The team returns to Antigua June 25 – July 2, 2027, with a goal of 100 cases and a fourth operating room. Support the 2027 mission

From the mission

  • Team members unpack boxes of supplies in the hospital courtyard.
  • A team member in scrubs arranges surgical instruments on a covered tray.
  • A team member shakes hands with a seated woman during clinic.
  • Masked team members stand together in an operating room.
  • A patient walks down a hospital corridor with a walker as team members follow.
  • A patient and a team member embrace and smile in a hospital corridor.