2024 Team Member Spotlight
Meet Debora Richardson
A new member of Operation Walk Pittsburgh’s Mission 2024 travel team.
Debora is excited to share her passion and experience as she prepares to make a difference during Mission 2024. Debora was born and raised in Brazil, and she understands the challenges that healthcare systems are up against in developing countries. At 9 years old she had an experience that will stick with her for life. She grew up in a very small town outside of São Paulo, and recalls an incident from her childhood when she had a severe laceration to her small toe, nearly resulting in its loss. Her family rushed her to the Emergency Room, only to find it incredibly overcrowded. They attempted to send them home, forcing them to wait anxiously for assistance throughout the day.
Getting to know Debora:
Debora is very active, and in her free time, she enjoys running. She participates in the Rothman 8k every year. As she prepares for Mission 2024 and thinks about what to expect, she can’t help but channel her appreciation for movement and the joy she feels when she’s active into her growing sense of excitement about volunteering with Operation Walk Pittsburgh as a member of the clinical care team. She hopes she can make a difference on the mission by helping patients to experience that sense of joy and appreciation through restored mobility. When we asked her what she was excited about, she told us this is an experience she eagerly looks forward to and one that will undoubtedly be deeply meaningful. This experience is one that she will want to share with family, friends, and coworkers afterward. Debora says, “I think working with the patients will be a life-changing experience, an opportunity to do good and provide care for the ones in need.”
Debora will be traveling with Operation Walk Pittsburgh to Antigua Guatemala for the first time for Mission 2024 and she hopes to make a difference by caring for and supporting each individual she encounters.
How to Donate:
Each travel team member agrees to a fundraising commitment as a condition of joining the team. The money our travel team members raise helps Operation Walk Pittsburgh to cover the cost of critically needed surgical supplies and equipment we’ll use during the mission to provide up to 80 knee and hip replacements for patients who would otherwise never have access to this type of treatment and care.
To make a donation and support Debora’s fundraising goal please visit our website. Be sure to check the box designating that your donation is in support of a travel team member and add Debora’s name in the following field. Thanks for your support and for supporting Debora as she works to give the gift of mobility to those who need it most.
Together, we can make a difference.