SOS Surgeons will Lead Medical Team to Provide Free Joint Replacements and Medical Care
Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS) is pleased to announce its support of Operation Walk New York’s (OpWalk NY) upcoming medical mission to Ghana, Africa, October 9 – 18. SOS surgeons Seth Greenky, MD, Brett Greenky, MD and Max Greenky, MD will again lead a team of medical professionals who provide free surgical treatments to patients suffering from debilitating bone and joint conditions in developing countries.
OpWalk NY was founded to bring orthopedic care and resources to developing nations where patients have limited or no access to medical treatment. OpWalk NY volunteers also educate local orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and health care professionals on the most advanced treatment of hip and knee joint disease. The team has completed several missions since the inaugural trip to Nepal in 2011. The team has also traveled to Panama and Guatemala and is returning to Ghana for a sixth time.
Stephen Bogosian, MD, Tim Damron, MD, Kevin Kleis, MD, and Mike Canfield, MD, will join the lead surgeons and will be joined by a handful of other SOS clinical team members and dozens of OpWalk volunteers from Central and Eastern New York. SOS team members traveling include Kim Murray, Jim Colone, Roxanne Williams, Melissa Patnella, Katilin Andrews, and Vincent Marino. The team will perform surgeries for patients in desperate need while in Ghana. During the last mission to Ghana in 2022 the OpWalk team performed 94 surgeries. “The team has been excited about and preparing for this mission to Ghana for some time,” commented Kim Murray, RN, MS, CNOR, Chief Clinical Officer, SOS. “It is an enormous logistical undertaking even before the medical team departs. It is a labor of love to prepare for several days of life-changing surgeries for those in need in Ghana.”
SOS has championed OpWalk NY since its inception, not only supplying medical providers and equipment, but raising funds to meet the financial needs of the missions. Employees regularly participate in small events like wearing jeans on Friday with a donation or playing in the benefit golf tournament. For this mission, a recent hip replacement patient of SOS was inspired to assist their efforts and raise funds to help the Ghanaians in need of surgery.
Helen Griffiths, a Willseyville, NY resident, had both hips replaced with SOS and recalls how the quality of her life improved tremendously “Without having access to the surgery, and the support of the great team at SOS I know I would be in care today. The care I received was a gift that I will never forget or take for granted” she said. Griffiths, retired from a career at Cornell and now raising sheep, recalls that three days after her first hip surgery she was mobile enough to assist her veterinarian with a sheep in sudden distress and save its life. “I was so grateful to have mobility returned and to be able to do easily the things I love. I wanted to help others who had debilitating joint pain similar to me but weren’t privileged to have access to medical care.”
Griffiths learned about OpWalk NY as a patient at SOS and knew it was a perfect opportunity to be a bridge between the doctors and patients in Ghana. “Compared to the long wait the Ghanaian people have had my own mobility challenges were brief. The strength and resilience these people display is truly humbling,” said Griffiths. Although unable to travel to Ghana with the team, Griffiths makes a significant contribution by writing the weekly pieces for the face book page. She also made wool rugs from the fleece of her sheep to support the auction at the team’s 2025 golf tournament. In addition, she raises awareness through selling her wooly creations in Ithaca and Watkins Glen. More information about her work can be found at her website, https://fibersncreations.weebly.com.
The success of OpWalk NY missions depends not just on the commitment of the medical team, but the support of the community to source, secure, and ship necessary equipment and supplies for the trip. Contributions can still be made to support the Ghana mission and donors can learn more at the OpWalk NY website, https://operationwalknewyork.org or through its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/OperationWalkSyracuse .