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Second Physician Team Visits the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital
We are back with a story of the second physician team to visit the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital with the University of Nevada Reno Wilderness Medicine Fellowship program started by Dr. Tony Islas. (We wrote about the first here.)
We are super happy to have an update by Dr. Bridget Martinez. She, along with Dr. Donald Harker, visited and worked at the hospital with our superstar leader of the hospital, Dr. Gyaltsen Gurung.
Here is Bridget’s tale of their journey and time at our most special place, the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital. You'll also hear a few thoughts from Dr. Gyaltsen Gurung, at the bottom.
Painting Party at the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital
In May of 2022 the Musa team gathered together for the first time since the pandemic outbreak at the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital. Here is a video that does a great job of showing the challenges the team faced and the amazing friendships that were formed when this group was brought together.
We send our greatest thanks to the staff of the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital who welcomed us and adapted to our presence while treating a steady stream of patients every day.
Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Visit: An Interview with Dr. Marlena Strandir
I have to say this is one of my favorite posts ever. It covers so much of what Musa Masala has been working towards and cares about - a complete and open hospital to provide care in an area where people had few options available, and the people who do it. The ones providing the care and who really make the hospital happen.
How did this magical post come about, you may ask? Well, through the awesome efforts of Dr. Eric Johnson and the hard work of the Himalayan Yokpu Foundation. Dr. Marlena Strandir and her husband, Jason, visited the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Tapting this past October. They arrived for the opening ceremonies of the hospital with the team from the Wilderness Medical Society. They stayed on for two weeks to work with Dr. Gurung and the staff. You could not find two better people to fit right into the pace of the hospital.
The Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Tapting - Update!
We are so proud to present the latest from the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital. This film was shot and edited by the incredible Yaman Shakya and Bibek Bartaula. (They are also awesome singers.) It gives a great overview of the story behind the hospitals founding and comes right up to our visit to paint the pediatric room.
We hope it gives you all some perspective on what has been accomplished by the Himalayan Yokpu Foundation to open the hospital from just an idea on a hill in 2016.
A Puja for our Friends
For the first time in three years, the Musa Masala team was back together. Arriving at the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Tapting at the end of April, we had come to paint the pediatric room in honor of our friend, Dr. Jennifer Konopka. Jen had been a powerful force in Musa Masala and a big supporter of the hospital project.
A New Short Film: The Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital
Since Musa Masala started in the summer of 2016, we have been fundraising for the construction of the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital in Khamding, Solukhumbu, Nepal. We have seen and camped on the land the hospital was to be built on, saw the buildings come up this past November and made a video to help promote the progress that had been made. Now there is a new short film, created by Lakpa Sherpa and the Himalayan Yokpu Foundation. This film, shot and produced by Sakar Shrestha, is a beautiful production.
Our Promo on the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Premieres
It was Nepal Night at the Wilderness Medical Society’s winter conference in Park City, Utah. The team that put it together, Jenevieve Suzanne Kincaid, Paul Queior and Tony Islas, did an amazing job.
Tony was up on stage introducing the speakers and told stories about how he became involved with Wilderness Medicine, his friendship with Wongchhu Sherpa and his commitment to the hospital. Fellow speakers, Luanne Freer, Eric Johnson and Paul Auerbach passionately spoke of how Wongchhu influenced their lives and the importance of doing good works.
Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Update
Let’s take a look at the progress on the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital! We will do a bigger update when we return from Nepal at the end of November.
We have some great photos to share that show the progress on the construction of the Wongcchu Sherpa Memorial Hospital! Lakpa Sherpa, Director of the Himalayan Yokpu Foundation, the non-profit organization coordinating the project, recently returned from the site and sent us this update.
Remembering Wongchu Sherpa: My Father's Dream
Every father has their own dream for their children, but my father’s dreams were especially unique. My father, the late Mr. Wongchhu Sherpa, was born in a remote area of the Everest region, Tapting-1, Chyangba Village. He breathed his last breath at age 48 in December, 2015.
He was not only my father, but with the way he helped others, many saw him as their own godfather. Because his ideas were dynamic and progressive, he became iconic.
An Interview with Chhiri Sherpa
Hi friends! Watch this awesome short on the Weatherport tent that was donated to Everest ER this season. It's narrated by Dr. Natasha Burley, one of three doctors who staffed the tent this 2016 season. Dr. Burley is an anesthesiologist from Scotland, a fine voiceover artist and an up-and-coming star in the high altitude football circuit. Beautiful filming gives a great feel for the environment at Mount Everest basecamp!
