Healing the Wounds of War

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CLA’s Operation Mend is dedicated to improving the quality of life for wounded service members, veterans and their families. It is the only program in the nation dedicated to plastic and reconstructive surgery, and medical and psychological treatment for post-9/11 military service members. The program has helped more than 850 patients and 450 caregivers at UCLA Health’s top-ranked medical facilities with world-class experts and the latest in medical technology.

Operation Mend warrior Misty Rose Sow was inspired by her family’s military service to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. She served as an Aircraft Guidance and Control Specialist with the 552nd AGS and the 71st Rescue Squadron during Operation Enduring Freedom. By the end of more than three years of service, Misty's mental health was in crisis. She said, “I had so much trauma stored in my body, it felt like the physical body could barely contain the buried emotions, and the body itself was having challenges to function at even 30 percent."

A fellow veteran told her about UCLA’s Health’s Operation Mend program. At UCLA, a holistic approach that blends Eastern and Western medicine resonated with Misty as she began her healing journey. Misty said, "There are stages of healing after trauma, and I used to believe it was surviving, existing and living; I had no idea thriving was even possible until Operation Mend.”

The program was born when Ronald Katz and his late wife, Maddie, both Bruins, were watching a news report about Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin, who was burned on more than 25 percent of his body when his vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device in Iraq. Inspired by his story of resilience, the couple decided they needed to find a way to help.

Operation Mend at UCLA was launched in 2007 through this vision and the couple’s generosity. UCLA brought together stakeholders including Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide medical, surgical and psychological treatment to post-9/11 veterans and service members injured in the line of duty. An inventor and entrepreneur, UCLA recently honored Katz with the Fiat Lux Award for his philanthropic giving and volunteer service to the university.

Operation Mend helps to eliminate barriers to treatment and provides services free of charge to qualified patients, as well as providing travel and lodging for warriors and their families. The program receives no financial support from government agencies and there are no co-payments, cost or authorization requirements for care at UCLA. To continue this important work, Operation Mend has received approximately $75 million from more than 5,000 donor contributions.

Corporal Mankin became Operation Mend’s first patient. To provide extra care and support, Todd Katz ʼ83 and his wife, Dana, created the Operation Mend Buddy Family Program. The program matches warriors with local individuals or couples, who offer social support, arrange outings, share meals, and help the warrior and their caregivers through the process. The Katz family not only created the program, but together with their children, they served as the first “buddy family” for Corporal Mankin.

This hands-on opportunity for volunteers to make a meaningful difference in an injured person’s recovery is rewarding for everyone involved. Dana Katz told UCLA, “It's been a great thing to be a part of over all these years. To watch people connect, watch people heal and get back to life."

The Katz family continues to be deeply involved in ensuring Operation Mend achieves its goals. Ron and Maddie’s sons, Todd and Randy Katz, together with their families, established the Ronald A. Katz Center for Collaborative Military Medicine at UCLA in 2013. The program furthers the work of Operation Mend by building partnerships between the University and the U.S military to address the unique challenges of caring for wounded veterans.

UCLA has a longstanding commitment to supporting veterans and service members, and has been U.S. News and World Report’s No. 1 Public University for Veterans seven years in a row. This past November, Chancellor Block along with health care professionals and leaders from UCLA Health joined Operation Mend patients and their families to march in the New York City Veterans Day Parade. In his message to the UCLA community he said, “America’s Veterans reflect an extremely diverse group of backgrounds and identities, but they are bound together by their selfless service to our nation. This Veterans Day, let us honor them and take inspiration from the example they set.”

Operation Mend gives wounded service members a chance to rewrite their future. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Darius Johnson was severely wounded in Afghanistan, suffering burns to 30 percent of his body, a traumatic brain injury, punctured lung, broken jaw and severe arm injury. He came to Operation Mend through a friend’s referral, and was treated for his physical injuries. He also completed the Intensive Treatment Program for Post-Traumatic Stress. Today, Darius is married and pursuing a master’s degree. He says, "The program gave me the tools to accept that what happened wasn't my fault; it was beyond my control. You can't do this stuff on your own, and you can't do it halfway."

For more info, visit uclahealth.org/programs/operationmend.

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