Knee – Nepali pronunciation – ghΰ-dah and now I’ve learned that in Guatemala it’s rodilla in Spanish.

The knee is “the largest and most complicated joint in the human body.[2] … Since in humans the knee supports nearly the whole weight of the body, it is the joint most vulnerable both to acute injury and the development of osteoarthritis.”  Thank goodness for amazing doctors who can repair the damage of osteoarthritis and rebuild knees as needed.  In Guatemala there is less than 1 doctor per 1000 people, so our team will bring much needed help to people suffering from this terrible disease.

Our WOGO surgeons have two main goals for this, and every, trip.  To transform lives in under-served global communities by reducing the chronic burden of arthritis and disability through total joint reconstruction and to leave the communities we visit healthier, more knowledgeable and inspired to reach beyond prior limits.  The surgery, medical care and therapy the team provides are really the bee’s knees!

 The bee’s knees is a phrase adopted by the 1920’s flappers (fabulous women in their own right) and meant to express that something was excellent and of the highest quality, which is exactly how I feel about the WOGO team.  Interestingly there is another connection between a powerful lady and the phrase. Bee Jackson was a dancer in 1920s New York and is credited by some historians as bringing the Charleston to Broadway.  She was a World Champion Charleston dancer and used those knees of hers constantly and in outstanding fashion (funny how it all connects back to knees…). 

The team is most definitely the bee’s knees.  And our female surgeons who lead our team – absolutely.

 Don’t have a knee-jerk reaction to this activity of mine – I like to be prepared! This phrase comes to us from the 1920s and refers to the reaction a knee has when the patella (I think) is tapped.  And it means having an automatic response to something. Frankly I hate when my doctor checks this.  I don’t really know why I dislike it, I just do.

The results of our trip already appear to be Knee-high by the Fourth of July.  Which means things are looking good, just like crops turn out that at July 4 are knee-high.  And no one on the trip is knee-high to a grasshopper because we don’t bring small children along for the adventure (you’ve got to be at least 18).

 So you can try to bring me to my knees, bend on one knee, or even take a knee but just don’t send any knee-biters my way. 

Looking forward to learning at the knee of the team members and from the new friends we’re sure to make in Guatemala.  It should be the bee’s knees for sure – and that’s not a knee-jerk reaction!